Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India this Wednesday will give the leaders from both countries a chance to try to resolve border disputes and trade imbalances. This will be his first trip to India as head of state. Significantly, Xi has postponed his visit to Pakistan, where he was due to sign $34 billion (Dh124.8 billion) worth of investment deals, because of political unrest.
China’s attempt to boost ties with India comes at a time when its relations with Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines have deteriorated over territorial disputes. The two countries, which house more than a third of the world’s population, have seen sporadic border clashes over the past five decades. India has accused China of occupying 38,000 square kilometres of territory in Jammu and Kashmir, while the Chinese government lays claim to 90,000 square kilometres of land in Arunachal Pradesh. But ahead of the visit, China said the two countries have the “confidence and capability” to resolve the border dispute through an “equitable and reasonable” solution based on dialogue and consultation. Progress on the border dispute would allow the government to devote more resources to strengthening economic ties. Stabilisation on the border would be a game-changer for both countries. The modernisation of many Indian railway stations, the upgrading of signalling systems at level crossings and the introduction of high-speed trains are likely to be among the economic cooperation agreements signed during the visit.
But there will be pressure on India to raise other issues too. The Tibetan parliament-in-exile has urged Xi to resolve the issue of Tibet through the mutually beneficial policy of the ‘middle way’ approach. It also asked India to raise the Tibet issue with the visiting dignitary.
