The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 9th May 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Why in News?

The Chinese have a knack for making headlines on India’s borders. The latest move, in April, saw them “renaming” 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which they consider to be “Zangnam” or, in English, “South Tibet”. The announcement was made after approval from the State Council, implying a green light from the very top of the Chinese system. Zhang Yongpan, of the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, claims that China’s move to “standardise” names in Zangnam “completely falls within China’s sovereignty and it is also in accordance with the regulation on the administration of geographical names”.

Major Concerns in India-China Relations

To understand the major concerns faced by India and China today let us have a quick look at the below-mentioned points

• LAC Issues – Border demarcation has been a major source of contention between India and China. Currently, the border line is a ceasefire line. In 1914, the McMohan line was established. The area of the Aksai chin in north India has been captured by Chinese authorities, and a significant portion of India’s northeastern states, particularly Arunachal Pradesh, is always considered to be part of it. China is constantly attempting to keep India under strategic pressure from both sides.
• Water Dispute – Some Indian states rely heavily on the four rivers that flow from China to India. China has built dams over them and is planning to build more to divert water, which harms water flow in India. The four rivers that originate in Tibet and flow into Indian territory are the Languchen Khabab, Tackok Khabab, Ma Cha Khabab, and Senge Khabab.
• The issue with Dalai Lama – India’s response to the exiled Dalai Lama, who has taken refuge in Dharamshala. The migration of approximately 1 lakh Tibetan residents is also a source of contention for China. China claims that the Dalai Lama is inciting Tibetans to rebel against China. Similarly, anti-social activists in India are always viewed negatively by China.
• CPEC through POK–  The passage of the CPEC network through disputed territory between Pakistan and India is also a source of contention between the two countries. China is deeply invested in its Silk Road revival project, of which CPEC is an offshoot. India is opposing the passage of this route through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Aside from these, China has accelerated the construction of roads and rail networks along India’s border with China. China is constantly interfering in Indian affairs and attempting to gain the trust of South Asian nations that rely on India. China has also been seen taking part in the South China Sea dispute.

India China Relations

• India became the first non-socialist bloc country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China on April 1, 1950.
• In October 1954, Prime Minister Nehru visited China. While the 1962 border conflict between India and China was a serious setback to relations, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s historic visit in 1988 marked the beginning of a period of improvement in bilateral relations.
• During Prime Minister Narasimha Rao’s visit in 1993, the signing of an Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on the India-China Border Areas reflected the growing stability and substance in bilateral ties.
•  India maintains its position and is focused on maintaining harmony and peace along its borders. India has kept its armed forces on high alert for any threatening situation.

• The trade and economic relationship between India and China has grown rapidly in recent years. The two countries’ trade volume stood at US$ 3 billion at the turn of the century, in the year 2000.
• Bilateral trade reached $51.8 billion in 2008, with China supplanting the United States as India’s largest “Goods trading partner.” Bilateral trade reached an all-time high of $73.9 billion in 2011.

• Cultural exchanges between India and China date back many centuries, and there is some evidence that conceptual and linguistic exchanges occurred between the Shang-Zhou civilization and the ancient Vedic civilization between 1500 and 1000 B.C.
• Several Buddhist pilgrims and scholars traveled to China on the historic “silk route” during the first, second, and third centuries A.D.
• As a symbol of historical civilizational contact between India and China, India built a Buddhist temple inside the White Horse Temple complex in Luoyang, Henan Province, which was said to be built in honor of the Indian monks Kashyapa Matanga and Dharmaratna.

• In 2006, India and China signed the Education Exchange Programme (EEP), which is an umbrella agreement for the two countries educational cooperation.
• Under this agreement, both sides will award government scholarships to 25 students attending recognized institutions of higher learning in the other’s country.
• Aside from that, Chinese students are annually awarded scholarships to study Hindi at the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan in Agra.

• Diamonds, cotton yarn, iron ore, copper, and organic chemicals were among India’s top exports to China in 2016. Diamond exports from India increased 28.48% to $2.47 billion.
• With a 31.81% share. India was the second largest exporter of diamonds(worked/unworked) to China.
• India’s cotton (including yarn and woven fabric) exports to China fell 44.1% to US$ 1.27 billion, although India was the second largest cotton exporter to China with a 16.43% market share. In 2016, Indian iron ore exports increased by more than 700% to US$ 844 million.

• China maintains its claim to Arunachal Pradesh as Southern Tibet.
• Beijing recently renamed 15 locations in Arunachal Pradesh, following the renaming of six in 2017.
• China justifies the renaming as being done based on its historical, cultural, and administrative jurisdiction over the area — these old names existed since ancient times and had been changed by India with its “illegal occupation”.
• Beijing’s new land border law went into effect on January 1, 2022, giving the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) full responsibility for combating “invasion, encroachment, infiltration, and provocation” and defending Chinese territory.
• India has been on pins and needles since the triumphant Galwan clash in 2020 and has paid a high price for the “mirror-deployment” of 50,000-60,000 additional troops in Ladakh.
• India-China trade is on track to surpass USD 100 billion for the second consecutive year, having increased to USD 67.08 billion in the first half of this year due to a significant increase in Chinese exports.