Generally Beijing

The reciprocal visit by a high-ranking Chinese military delegation intended to further contacts with Indian counterparts has turned out to be an occasion for a broader exchange of views. Official briefings on the meetings of the Chinese chief of general staff, General Fu Quanou, with the Prime Minister and Defence Minister, are, as usual, taciturn to the point of being uncommunicative. But a few things can be gauged from the language. First, for New Delhi it provided an opportunity to reaffirm continuity in Indian foreign policy. This was useful in light of some confusion caused by recent statements in official quarters about China’s role in the subcontinent, a role Beijing has vehemently denied. Second, with the basics of the relationship firmly in place, it seems to have been possible to discuss `freely and frankly’ recent developments on the security front. It was against the background of Atal Behari Vajpayee’s reassuring emphasis on friendly cooperation that George Fernandes was able to express concernabout the deterioration in the regional security environment. Both sides can be assumed to have agreed in general terms about problems arising from the transfer of nuclear and missile technology and left it at that. In that sense, it can perhaps be said the dialogue has improved somewhat and this is a positive development.

On the border issue, where progress has been much too slow, Gen Fu offered little comfort when he said there should be gradual movement towards demarcating the border. His statement appears to reflect the view of the Chinese political leadership and will come as a disappointment to the Indian side which would like to see more substantive agreements. However, the importance of agreements on maintaining peace and tranquillity on the border should not be underestimated. It has stood both countries in good stead for several years. But there is no room for complacency. Some military confidence building measures are in place but there is need to enlarge and reinforce them. Hopefully, new ideaswill be discussed during the Chinese delegation’s stay in the country and implemented soon. Gen Fu’s statement about a consensus on joint efforts to achieve peace and stability are very encouraging in this context.

It is too early to say whether the India-China relationship can be advanced more rapidly across a broad front in the near future although that is clearly in their mutual interest. Trade and cultural contacts have grown but are still insignificant by comparison to the size of the two countries. After the takeover of Hong Kong, trade figures look healthier but that is deceptive. At this rate it will be well into the next century before the economic relationship really takes off. That is the the single most important area today where the two governments should be concentrating their efforts. It will not come about by itself. New Delhi and Beijing need to give bilateral trade that extra push to turn into something more meaningful than it is today.