Swaraj’s China visit has strategic significance
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's upcoming visit to China could not have been better timed. It comes on the heels of US President Barack Obama's landmark three-day India tour which was keenly followed by Beijing. Reportedly, the many successes of the India-US leaders' summit, particularly the joint declaration that expressed concern over rising tensions in South China Sea and the need to maintain calm in the Indo-Pacific, have been perceived with a degree of concern in China.
The Asian giant is worried that improved ties between India and the US could potentially deter its own influence, not just in the region but on the international platform as well. Ms Swaraj's visit should play an important role in allaying some of those fears. China is a large and powerful player on the global stage as well as a neighbour with whom India shares a 4,000km-long border. There can be no two ways about the primacy of China's position in Indian foreign policy, and this was underlined during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India in September 2014. Yes, the incursion of Chinese troops into Indian territory during the course of that visit struck an off-key note, highlighting some of the challenges that the India-China bilateral still faces, but that did not take away from the many achievements which were also secured during the summit.
In fact, the focus of Ms Swaraj's China tour will be to build on those developments and prepare the stage for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reciprocal visit to the Middle Kingdom later this year. The External Affairs Minister will be following up on some specific plans, including China's $20 billion investment commitment as well as the Chennai-New Delhi bullet train corridor project. She will also be reviewing China's promise to improve Indian access to its IT and pharmaceutical sectors, which will be an important element in the Modi Government's efforts to reduce the growing Indian trade deficit with China.
last year, the two countries traded goods and services worth $70.59 billion, which was a significant improvement from previous years. In fact, the trade volume was close to the all-time high of $73.9 billion that had been achieved in 2011, after which the figures began to decline. However, despite the recent upward movement, the balance is still heavily tilted in China's favour — with a trade deficit of $37.8 billion. This year, New Delhi and Beijing have set an ambitious bilateral trade target of $100 billion, but this will accrue only limited economic benefits to India if the trade gap is not bridged.
The other big issue that features on Ms Swaraj's agenda is, of course, the border dispute. The 18th round of talks between the Special Representatives of both countries is coming up soon. It will be the first time that Mr Ajit Doval, the new National Security Advisor, will be leading the dialogue from the Indian side. Though the talks have put in place a structured format for New Delhi and Beijing to engage on the contentious issue, the system has unfortunately stagnated in recent times. Ms Swaraj can help breathe life into the dialogue. The Minister will also be participating in the Russia-India-China trilateral, and this will be an important geo-political engagement for all parties.
