NEW DELHI: An article published on an international strategic analysis on South Asia stated that China and India have failed to realize that they cannot come to terms over the fact that they have to co-exist and “a zero-sum perception of each other’s role will inevitably lead to an escalation of hostility”.
Yun Sun, an expert in Chinese foreign policy and its relations with neighboring countries, in her article titled “The future of India-China competition in South Asia” writes that the strategic competition between two countries is a key element underlining the narrative of its bilateral ties.
“Similar debates are rampant in China. The Chinese policy community has long been torn between a hardline approach to coerce India into reckoning with China’s geopolitical and economic superiority and a conciliatory path to entice India into a collaborative and cooperative relationship with China,” Sun argues in the article. “In both countries, the final policy outcomes appear to be a combination of both proposals, although the weight of each varies depending on the domestic and regional political climates at a given time.”
“While India is keen on maintaining its central and leadership position in South Asia, China’s lack of respect and accommodation for India’s traditional role in the region have greatly exacerbated New Delhi’s anxiety, and resistance to China’s regional economic campaign, the Belt and Road Initiative.
She went on to write that both countries see value in cooperating on the global level as emerging powers vis-à-vis the global North, such common interests have not been sufficient to mitigate, let alone eliminate, the distrust and frictions at the regional and bilateral levels.”
Sun went on to say that the level and scope of strategic communication and official/unofficial dialogues appears to be surprising low if comparing the bilateral ties of both countries.
“Without honest conversations and accurate understanding of each other’s intentions and approaches, negotiations and compromises over the acceptable arrangements between the two are unlikely to be successful or sustainable,” she writes. APP/AFP