India-China Relations

Exactly one day ahead of Narendra Modi taking the oath for the third time as the Prime Minister of India, the Ministry of External Affairs has made a very significant statement regarding India’s commitment to continuing to pursue efforts towards normalising ties with China. The MEA statement came as a response to a congratulatory message extended to Modi for his third successive entry into the Prime Minister’s office by the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Saturday. Ning is also quoted as having said that a healthy and stable China-India relationship was in the interest of both countries and conducive to peace and development in this region and beyond. It is important to note that the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has also reiterated that China is ready to work with India to act in the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples, bear in mind the overall interest of the ties between the two sides, look to the future, and advance bilateral relations on a healthy and stable track. The response to the Chinese congratulatory message has been promptly responded to by the Ministry of External Affairs, with its spokesman stating that any effort towards normalising ties between the two nations was based on mutual respect, mutual interest, and mutual sensitivity. While leaders from across the globe have congratulated Modi for leading the National Democratic Alliance to a hattrick victory in the Lok Sabha elections, the Chinese message holds special significance in that the global power equations have been changing very fast, and India’s importance has been growing every passing day. It is also significant to note that global politics has been undergoing rapid transformation in the context of developments centred around the Indo-Pacific. Some consider China’s presence in the Indo-Pacific region as an ‘encirclement of India’ aimed at offsetting India’s expansion as a major power in the region. While the US and China have been engaged in what has been described as a “chip war,”, India’s plan to go for large-scale manufacture of semiconductors has been seen as a significant move by the Western powers. While China dominates with a commanding 43.9 percent share of India’s imports in the electronics, telecom, and electrical sectors, large-scale production of semiconductors and other electronic commodities in India in the next decade is expected to cut down heavily not just India’s imports but also the rest of the world’s dependence on China.