Can India and China Ever Improve Their Relationship and Become Friends

Strictly speaking, China and India have never had a contiguous border. India always had a border with Tibet, but there is no denying the fact that for long periods, China claimed suzerainty over Tibet. It cannot be denied that during periods in history, it has controlled Tibet.

There is a lot of speculation these days after Donald Trump, the American president, imposed punitive tariffs on India to the tune of 50%. This is not all, as he also started pumping up Pakistan against India. The Modi government saw the writing on the wall and thought that they should improve their relationship with China. The India-China relationship has been fractured for 63 years, since the India-China war in 62. The relationship took a nosedive after 2020 when a clash took place between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the remote region of Ladakh.. China also actively supported Pakistan with both material and intelligence during the last 4-day war with Pakistan. It has also been claiming vast areas of India. The Americans had designated India as a strategic ally and made it a member of QUAD in a plan to surround the dragon.

The above actions confused the Indian government. The need to talk to Chia was felt, and the Indian foreign minister visited China, and the Chinese foreign minister is coming to India. In addition, Narendra Modi, who had not gone to China for six years, will now be visiting the country doing the SCO meeting. These are knee-jerk reactions and show complete confusion in the Indian government. se terms.

After the souring of relations with America under Donald Trump, a state of affairs which never happened earlier with any American president, from the time of Bill Clinton, India was actively involved in a strategic relationship with the United States, which felt threatened by China. Donald Trump has changed all that, and the Modi government decided that they must mend fences with China, as it was a strategic necessity.

There is, however, a flaw in this thinking . If India wanted to mend its relations with China, all these steps could have been taken much earlier, and it is not understood why they should be taken now, after Donald Trump imposed tariffs on India.

However, the question is whether India can mend its relations with China. We must remember that two swords cannot be in a single scabbard, and China and India cannot both aspire for the leadership of Asia. China and India were almost at the same level in 1947. India was far ahead of China at that time, which was embroiled in a civil war between the Communists and the Nationalists. After the Chinese Communist Party's victory, China got its act together and now has an economy that is five times the size of India and a military witch even scares the United States. This has alarmed the United States. As far as India is concerned, the relationship with China cannot be on an even footing.

Another irritant is the border problem. China has already occupied Tibet and also occupied Aksai Chin, which is claimed by India. This is based on the legacy left behind by the British Raj, where they sent explorers like Johnson into Tibet and Aksai Chi and claimed the area, up to what is called the Johnson line. This constitutes 30,000 square miles, and recently the Chinese have also claimed the entire Arunachal Pradesh as a part of China, claiming it was lower Tibet.

China has not withdrawn these claims, and neither is there any intention to hand over the Indian territory incorporated in China back to India. There is therefore no chance that in time to come, China and India can ever be friends. The friendship can only be if India solves the border problem with China, and that can only be on the way the Chinese want it, in other words, India will have to surrender all the areas which are worth thousands of kilometres to China. No Indian government can concede this, but realistically, that is the only solution.

The borders were drawn by the British government during the days of the Raj, at a time when China was weak. They codified it in the 1913 Shimla conference held between the British India government, Tibet, and China. The Chinese at that time did not sign the agreement, and the Tibetan government only initialed it, saying that the Dalai lama would sign it later. India will have to dump the interpretation of the border as delineated by the British because, after 1947, the free Indian government under Nehru did nothing to establish administration in these areas. They also never came to the help of Tibet, which China attacked in 1950. The Indian government let slip these areas out of their hands by their actions, and now they are presented with a fait accompli.

There has been enmity between India and China for the last 8 decades. The Indian leadership under Narendra Modi is now facing Hobson's choice. The recent rupture of the relationship with America and Donald Trump is a big shock. At the same time, India is trying to mend fences with China, but I'm afraid it will go nowhere because the enmity of the last 8 decades cannot be wiped out. In addition, China occupies almost 40,000 square miles of Indian territory. I do not know if Narendra Modi has the guts to negotiate the border with China, and that can only be with China getting the cake.

Perhaps relations with America will simmer down and probably come back to the old days, but that can only be after Donald Trump leaves the presidency. He has done much damage to India-American relations. Modi is also on his way out as he will be 75 next month, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, RSS, has an informal policy that those leaders who reach the age of 75 must relinquish public office. The RSS is the parent organization of the BJP, the ruling party. Let us see what happens.