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In India, ties with China are usually described as a tangle of cooperation, competition and contention. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three-day visit to China, which concludes on Saturday, has been marked by continuity rather than any big-bang breakthrough in bilateral relations. On Friday, the two sides signed 24 agreements to consolidate aspects of cooperation to boost what Modi termed a "complex relationship in recent decades".
The prime minister, it would seem, was forthright in broaching some contentious issues such as the increasing trade deficit between the two countries. He said he stressed the need for China to "reconsider" its approach on some issues that held back the two neighbours from realising the full potential of their partnership, a reference to Beijing issuing stapled visas to residents of Arunachal Pradesh. "I suggested China should take a strategic and long-term view of our relations," he said at a joint media interaction with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. (BABY STEPS IN A DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIP)
On the boundary question, the two sides agreed to work towards an early "political settlement" and decided to bolster their confidence-building measures, including increasing border meeting points from the current four. The PM said he reiterated the "importance of clarification of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in this regard". The India-China LAC isn't clearly demarcated, leading to 'intrusions', one of which caused some embarrassment to Modi when Chinese Army units intruded into the Ladakh sector when the PM was hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Ahmedabad in September last year.
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The PM also sought "tangible progress" on issues relating to visa policy and trans-border rivers. He announced India would give Chinese tourists e-visas.
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Modi also discussed some of New Delhi's regional concerns, particularly those with Pakistan.
The PM termed India-China ties one of the most important strategic partnerships, saying the "re-emergence of India and China and their relationship will have a profound impact on the two countries and the course of this century".
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This relationship, he said, should be made a "source of strength" and mutual trust strengthened.
A joint statement, signed after Modi's delegation-level talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, stressed the "imperative of forging strategic trust" and said the two sides would work towards more frequent meetings between their respective leaders. With the two sides instituting a state/provincial leaders' forum, Indian states and Chinese provinces are likely to take the lead on this front.
The agreements signed on Friday covered a wide array of sectors --- from space, nuclear energy and smart cities to Chinese help in increasing the speeds of Indian trains and skill development. In a joint statement on climate change, the two sides agreed they had similar concerns on the issue and appealed to the developed world to meet its historical commitments.
PM Modi identified the two Chinese industrial parks in Gujarat and Maharashtra as evidence of collaboration. Concluding his visit to China, the PM will be in Shanghai on Saturday, where 20 pacts in the private sector, worth $10 billion, are expected to be signed.
Modi said he also raised the issue of the growing trade deficit between the two countries. The joint statement said China would look into the skewed balance of trade by constituting a task force look into the issue. This would include cooperation on pharmaceutical supervision, speedier phytosanitary negotiations on agro-products, stronger links between Indian information technology companies and Chinese enterprises and addressing issues pertaining to tariff reduction for Indian products in the framework of the Asia-Pacific trade agreement. The trade imbalance has touched $38 billion, a major concern for India. "Both sides will make full use of the India-China joint economic group to work on this," the joint statement said.
The highlight of PM Modi's visit to China has been the stress on India-China civilisational links, whether through a visit to a Buddhist temple in Xian with President Xi Jinping on Thursday, or attending a Yoga-Taichi demonstration in Beijing with Li Keqiang on Friday. The two sides also signed an agreement to co-produce a film on Monk Xuan Zang who, Modi said, had visited his hometown 1,400 years ago. According to another agreement, India will help set up a yoga college and a centre for Indian and Gandhian studies in China.
Delivering a lecture at the Tsinghua University, Modi said India and China should address issues that led to hesitation, doubt and distrust. This should be done "in a manner that transforms our relationship and not cause new disruptions". He underlined the two countries should be "sensitive to each other's interests" and "think of creative solutions to issues that have become irritants --- from visa policies to trans-border rivers".
Earlier, Modi had raised concern with Xi Jinping about China's $46-billion proposed investment in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Li said, "We do not deny that there are some disagreements between us but there is a mechanism and sufficient political maturity to address these." He added the two countries should uphold peace and tranquillity. "We stand ready to work with India to bring China-India relations to new heights."
China said it understood and supported India's aspiration to play a greater role in the United Nations, including in the Security Council.
