By The Editor
Neighbors, more often than not are envious of each other, their progress each others’ eyesore. This goes same for people and nations alike. India and China have a historical chance to bolster their relationship. Despite our historical and ideological differences world has placed its hopes in our future but it’s up to us how we shape it.
Settling disputes is never easy especially if it’s between countries. Border disagreements and occasional confrontations have created tensions on lot of occasions between New Delhi and Beijing, if it would be as simple as drawing a line on paper and bam that is your side, this is ours. From Arunachal Pradesh to stapled visa we use each and every opportunity to breathe down each other’s necks. This just looks like two rich guys, living in palaces and bickering over the boundary walls. We can either choose to consolidate and look out for each other in terms of security, growth and stability or continue to damage our relationship. Xinjiang is to China is what Kashmir is to India, and somehow all the problems in the world find their source in Pakistan. Both countries need strategic cooperation at highest level in order to fight terrorism, even if that cooperation is solely out of necessity.
Things are not like as they were 50 years ago. Both the nations have emerged to become world powers; we built huge armies and armed them with some of the most destructive weapons on Earth. The economies and populace of both the nation have come out of backwardness and poverty in such short span and speed that might baffle most eminent of economists yet, we were not able to bury our past with each other. It’s never easy, it’s never going to be but somewhere down the line we have to come to terms with each other. The other guy doesn’t have horns.
Other curious case about India, China’s relationship is their relationship with each others enemies. We don’t like China’s mingling with Pakistan and China view our friendship with Japan and United States with suspicion. This further add to the problem that China’s support for India’s bid for permanent seat on UN security council is contingent on India revoking its support for Japan’s bid. Well all politics and coffee clubs aside, India and Japan need be in that council if we were to have peace in Asia as a whole. India, China and Japan are among the largest economies of the world, and it doesn’t do any good to anyone if these three don’t cooperate with each other. As far as Pakistan is concerned, it has always been a bad investment. United States realized this, Afghanistan is realizing this and china will realize this sooner or later.
India and China has a long road ahead, we can keep good company or have a bitter parting of ways, in either case the choice lies with us.