PM Modi's China Visit: Cooperate for Development, Not Contain; and Not Both

Abstract

In view of the forthcoming state visit of India’s Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi to China from 14th to 16th May, this article examines India’s foreign policy from its non-alignment days of 1960s until now. Majority of Indian analysts and researchers have been sharply critical of India’s non-alignment days, stating a clear alignment with the U.S. would have served India better. Now, the same voice has only got strengthened with a clear leaning of India’s policy, to media for the U.S. This directly or indirectly promotes India playing the key role in containing China. Indian media and analysts have often been paranoid on China in the past. This article argues that when China has scored many-a-diplomatic-coups in 2015 with its soft influence from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to BRICS Development Bank to Silk Route to others (like possibility of yuan’s inclusion in Standard Drawing Rights (SDR) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)), it would be wrong for India to align with the U.S. (and allies of the U.S. in Asia, like Japan) to counter China. Non-alignment in present world with declining U.S. influence at least in Asia, and a vice-versa for China makes better sense for India’s, and PM Modi’s ‘Development’ (‘Vikas’ in Hindi) agenda as China can be India’s natural ally for development.

Keywords: India, China, Foreign Policy, Bilateral Relationship, Contain China, Cooperate, Development, Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping

JEL Classification: H56, I31, F21