Yang Jiechi's visit brings India and China closer

By Rabi Sankar Bosu

India's National Security Adviser and Special Representative for India-China border talks, Ajit Doval, met Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi, who is also Chinese Special Representative on China-India boundary issues, in New Delhi on December 22, 2017 for the 20th round of Special Representatives' talks. The Chinese State Councilor also met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 20th SR-level meeting has provided a good opportunity for both sides to try to iron out their differences amid a complicated border issue. The meeting has helped end the year on a positive note for India and China in their attempt to create more mutual trust.

Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, right, poses with Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi for a photo before their meeting in New Delhi, India, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017.[Photo: AP/Manish Swarup]

India and China institutionalized the Special Representatives' (SR) mechanism on June 23, 2003, envisaging a three-step process. The two neighbours reached an agreement on guiding principles and setting political parameters for the settlement of the India-China boundary question in 2005. Negotiations are now in the second phase, which involves creating a settlement framework. The final step will be the final drawing of an agreed upon border based on the framework agreement.

The Special Representatives' (SR) Meeting is not only a high-level channel for the border issue, but also a platform for strategic communication. The meetings also allows the two sides to exchange views on international and regional issues.

Yang Jiechi's visit to New Delhi this time has significance, as its the second visit by a senior Chinese official to India following the 19th CPC National Congress in October. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in New Delhi earlier in the month, sitting down with his Indian counterpart, Sushma Swaraj, as part of a meeting among the Foreign Ministers of Russia, India and China. These two high-level meetings suggest both sides are now eager to turn a new page in the wake of the standoff earlier in the year at the border near Doklam in southern Tibet.

Sino-Indian ties were severely strained by the military stand-off, which began on June 18th after over 270 Indian border troops crossed into Chinese-controlled territory. The move came despite China holding "indisputable sovereignty" under the "Convention Between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet" signed in 1890. Despite the tensions, the standoff was eventually resolved through a mutual "disengagement" on August 28th, allowing India-China ties to get back on a healthy track. This issue, while a topic of discussion at the most recent meeting, was not exclusive to the talks between Yang Jeichi and Ajit Doval. Both emerged from the sessions suggesting that India-China relations go beyond the border dispute.

India-China relations during this summer's standoff did come close to a tipping point. As such, if both sides don't do more to mend fences, the overall relationship is going to be affected. This is why the SR-level meeting is so important. "The talks provide an opportunity for both sides to talk to each other and to defuse the intense atmosphere between the two countries, ease the atmosphere," said Lan Jianxue, expert on India at the China Institute of International Studies, reports the Hindustan Times.

However, there are those who suggest the opposite. "It is true that the SRs mechanism has not delivered the desired result, at least, as far as the boundary question is concerned," said Swaran Singh, Professor at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, reports The Hindu Business Line.

In reality, its unrealistic to expect a settlement on the sticky border issue in the near future. As such, crisis management is very important to maintain peace along the 4,000-km-long border between the two Asian giants. The meeting between Yang Jeichi and Ajit Doval has done a lot to try to advance that idea, with the two officials exchanging ideas on various confidence building measures.

For India, China remains an important neighbour. The diplomatic goal should be to find areas of commonality. However, there are long-term challenges still to deal with. One area of concern for the Indian side is China's Belt and Road Initiative. India is opposed to the flagship project; the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which passes through Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, which is claimed by India.

Still, the Belt and Road Initiative is an opportunity for India to solidify its relationship with China. By not joining, India is missing out on an opportunity for economic development. India needs to look beyond the CPEC, and embrace the opportunity for coordinated regional development.

China is not India's enemy. China has proven its sincere in its intention to try to include India through the Belt and Road Initiative. If both New Delhi and Beijing can find a way to bridge the divide over things like the border issues and the CPEC, both sides will create mutual benefits for their people, as well as the region and the rest of the world.

(Rabi Sankar Bosu, Secretary, New Horizon Radio Listeners' Club, based in West Bengal, India)