The Hindi-Mandarin bridge
A Chinese professor who brought Hindi studies to China’s top university in Beijing and across the mainland, writes on the power of language to build bridges across borders
A Chinese professor who brought Hindi studies to China’s top university in Beijing and across the mainland, writes on the power of language to build bridges across borders
This daily column includes Gateway House’s Badi Soch – big thought – of the day’s foreign policy events. Today’s focus is on China’s desire for negotiations on the China-India Regional Trade Arrangement.
India-China relations can enter a new chapter if bilateral negotiations progress beyond a talk show, and move the focus from borders to business linkages.
In the coming decade, India and China are set to achieve a historic $100 billion bilateral trade volume. But India’s concerns over growing trade imbalances and market access need to be addressed so that the two neighbouring economies can forge a more sustainable and mutually beneficial partnership
An understanding between China and India not to develop a permanent presence on each other’s maritime territories may be helpful in reducing tensions between the two navies. Given the broader context of Sino-Indian strategic rivalry, however, this seems unlikely.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to India is likely to include an empty shopping basket of opportunities that keep domestic Chinese consumers content. Mr. Li should encourage Indian companies to fill that Chinese consumer need, and additional concessions may, if handled correctly by India, be sought as a result.
India should recognise the importance of Tibetans for India’s security. Security in the Himalayan borderlands does not come only from only a military build-up in which India cannot surpass China, or new border infrastructure, but also from the pro-India sentiments of its inhabitants.
India and China have divergent approaches to terrorism emanating from Pakistan. How can New Delhi prod Beijing to act on its concerns about the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan?
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to India next week is unlikely to fast-track a resolution of the Sino-Indian territorial dispute. Li may suggest confidence-building mechanisms on the border, but these proposals need scrutiny. China’s border agreements with other neighbours are indicators of what India can expect
The 11th Presidential election of Iran will be held on June 14, 2013. Why will this election be a test for the Islamic Republic’s stability? What are the factors at play that make this election critical; and more importantly, why must India monitor it closely?