Modi's visit to China is an opportunity
- By Sumantra Maitra
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E-mail China.org.cn, May 12, 2015
Indian PM Narendra Modi is about to visit China within this week. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this news, stating that the Indian PM will be visiting China on May 14-16. This will be his first visit to his northern neighbor since he was elected last year, on a promised platform of a more active foreign policy role for India and a reexamination of Indo-Chinese relations.
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A photo showing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's webpage on Sina Weibo, China's major social media platform. |
To underscore this agenda, Modi's PR team set up his Weibo account, the Chinese version of the social networking site Twitter, although it was hilariously bombarded with active Chinese netizens about uncomfortable questions about geo-political disputes between the two giants.
However, it might be interesting to know that this visit might prove to be important and useful for both countries. Of course, the visit will also be high on rhetorical value, and we will discuss the stakes in the course of this article. The Indian PM is more proactive and keen, than the previous administrations, and has made clear that he wants to make an effort to eventually solve the territorial spats with China, a colonial legacy which hangs over both countries. China and India have shared historically strong ties for centuries, with trade and cultural exchanges being commonplace, but post-colonial history between the two giants with enormous potential has never been smooth.
Interestingly, they are also two of the largest countries in the world with the largest human capital and skilled labor forces, and the two driving forces in a stagnant world economy, with both countries accounting for over 5 percent of global GDP growth, way above the United States or the EU. India being a global leader in IT, pharmaceuticals and service sector back office operations, and China being a manufacturing giant, there is also less potential of direct competition, and more opportunities for cooperation. The Indian PM has also signaled the need for Chinese investment and therefore is forming committees to study the areas where China could provide direct assistance.
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