Modi visits Xi Jinping: A Seed for an Unlikely Partnership?

With China’s economy stagnating and tariffs up to 50% being slapped on US-bound Indian exports by the US, India’s Prime Minister Modi may be visiting China’s Xi Jinping to discuss a closer partnership between the two countries on account of mutual interests. Such a relationship would have a massive impact around the world, given that both China and India are some of the world’s largest economies, being ranked second and fifth respectively.

However, such a partnership faces several substantial difficulties. Historically, India and China are ill-disposed towards one another, with tensions flaring up even as recently as June 2020, when India, deeming China responsible for the violence at the Galwan river valley, retaliated in various ways, including stalling visa applications and Chinese investments. China also has various partnerships with India’s many unfriendly neighbours, like Pakistan and Bangladesh, which can hardly serve to improve India-China relations. Further grievances also drive apart India and China, such as the ill-treatment of Tibet, which India has a strong historical connection to, by China, as well as China’s upcoming dam at the Yarlung Tsangpo River being very likely to negatively affect the livelihood of a great many people in nearby India and Bangladesh.

However, with Modi’s visit to China, the unlikely may indeed happen. Modi is also visiting China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), aimed at projecting and promoting multipolarity. While the SCO is seen by some as not doing much, with India not taking it very seriously in the past, this might change. Other major members of the SCO include China, Russia and Iran, all of whom have suffered in one way or another due to the actions of the US and thus share some kind of common interest. Moscow certainly hopes that China, India and Russia can work together, since if all three work together, they can significantly reduce their dependence on the US.

Will much come from just this one meeting? No. But this may be the seed for further meetings and the mending of Chinese-Indian relations. It may also send a message to Washington that New Delhi doesn’t need her.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mlen3grx7o