Besides the border, 4 issues obstruct warmer China-India tiesIndia and China took another step towards healthy and stable relations last week as India’s national security adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held border talks in Beijing. It was the 23rd meeting between the countries’ special representatives under the established mechanism for border discussions – and the first to be held in five years.Relations cooled after the deadly Galwan Valley clash in 2020, with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar frequently critical of border affairs. The Wang-Doval meeting returns discussions over long-standing border issues back to the normal track.Described as substantive and constructive, the meeting reflected a warming of Sino-India relations. Trust will need to be re-established and that will take time. Beyond border and bilateral relations, China and India can also improve mutual understanding and build trust by clarifying issues regarding the international order – on which they share similarities but also sharp differences.First, the international order is undergoing a transformation. The driving forces are seen variously as the rise of the East and the decline of the West, or the rise of the South and the decline of the North. China has repeatedly referred to changes “not seen in a century”. Both China and India are part of this transformation.Both see as unfair the international order led by the United States and western Europe. Like China, India is part of the Brics bloc (whose name comes from initial members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), which seeks to reshape global governance. India is also pushing for more equitable representation through reforms to the UN Security Council, including a seat for India – which permanent member China has publicly opposed.In a September talk in New York, Jaishankar spoke of the “parallel rises of India and China”, which “present a very, very unique problem”. China, undeniably the biggest driving force behind the changing international order, hopes for a smooth transition. It stands as a major force in maintaining peace and stability, especially in the Asia-Pacific.But the Indian side, including high-level officials such as Jaishankar, view China’s rise as a disruptive force to the international order and a threat to regional peace and stability. This is unacceptable to China.Second, the international order may be disintegrating but a new one has yet to take shape. While both India and China are working on civilisational revival, what each sees as the future of the international order is different.India appears to believe the US will emerge the victor in the strategic contest it is leading against China. India has shown support for the West and joined forces with the US and American allies to contain China in the Indo-Pacific. I think India’s real motive is to seize the opportunity amid the chaos to bolster its own rise.Indeed, China neither envisions nor seeks a defeat of the US or the West. While it will not tolerate any challenges to its “red line” issues including Taiwan and Xinjiang, China ultimately wants peaceful coexistence and a global community with a shared future.Third, while the international order is seen as heading for a multipolar future, what this entails is understood differently by China and India. Both countries have expressed hopes for a more multipolar world but India has also suggested that a prerequisite is a multipolar Asia. Now, China does not oppose the idea of a multipolar Asia. It does not speak of it because this is, in many ways, already a reality. The US is the largest beyond-region force influencing Asia but it is not the only one: there are also Japan, Russia, the countries of the Middle East and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.What China opposes is the outdated concept of spheres of influence. Just as East Asia is not China’s sphere of influence, South Asia and the Indian Ocean region are not India’s sphere of influence.The Indian Ocean in particular is a global commons and China reserves the right to use the Indian Ocean shipping lanes and protect the safety of Chinese commercial vessels. China upholds an open mindset and the right to cooperate with countries in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region.Lastly, there is the issue of the Global South and its leadership. Both China and India are seen as contenders, given their globally influential agendas.There is no question China has been a member of the Global South since the 1960s and 1970s as one of the many developing countries demanding the establishment of a new global political and economic order. China and the vast majority of Global South countries therefore share a common revolutionary friendship against imperialism and colonialism.Meanwhile, India has been positioning itself as a leader of the Global South, notably with its hosting of the G20 summit in New Delhi last year. India has held three annual Voice of Global South Summits, the latest in August, with China prominently excluded. The US and other Global North countries have also attempted to exclude China from the Global South through their own definitions of the concept.When it comes to Global South membership, gross domestic product and economic development are mere indicators. I think the key lies in whether a country truly considers the position of developing countries and seeks benefits for Global South countries.Any attempt to alienate China from the Global South is bound to fail. A far better way is for both China and India to cooperate in jointly promoting the improvement of the political and economic status of all Global South countries.
