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China-India relations
Opinion
Shi Jiangtao
Shi Jiangtao

As I see it | China can regain an important friend if it makes up with India

  • Already locked in rivalry with the US, it was not ideal for Beijing to alienate New Delhi, but the China-India border row has had that effect
  • Xi Jinping’s stated wish for China to make friends rather than enemies could apply to its increasingly US-friendly neighbour

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Anti-China sentiment in India grew after soldiers were killed when the border dispute turned deadly last June. Photo: AFP
Shi Jiangtao

Few could have expected a year ago that China’s relations with India, which were improving after a 2017 border row, would soon dip to their lowest in decades.

But another stand-off in the Himalayas, in Ladakh, has yet to be resolved after 13 months, and it is clear that last June’s clash in which 20 Indian and at least four Chinese soldiers were killed was a turning point, particularly in how New Delhi perceives Beijing.
Before the clash, both sides rejoiced about the “heart-to-heart” friendship between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who were planning a third summit in two years. As China fixated on a new cold war with the United States, most China-watchers argued it would be nightmarish for Beijing to alienate New Delhi. But a year later, that’s exactly what has happened.

02:07

China reveals details of 2020 border clash with Indian troops after both sides complete pullback

China reveals details of 2020 border clash with Indian troops after both sides complete pullback

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said last month that “profoundly disturbed” ties were at a crossroads, reasoning that “if you disturb the peace and tranquillity, if you have bloodshed … if there is intimidation, if there is continuing friction on the border then obviously it is going to tell on the relationship”.

Distrust of China in India hit a record high, with Indian officials and scholars talking openly about China’s strategic threat and close alignment with Pakistan.

In a January survey by India Today, despite the devastating coronavirus crisis, nearly 60 per cent of Indians backed their government on the border dispute, and 82 per cent supported its ban on Chinese goods and mobile apps.

More consequentially, Modi has ditched New Delhi’s traditional policy of ambiguity on its alignment with Washington and emerged as a pillar in the US’ alliance-based approach to confronting China. India’s embracing of the “Quad”, the China-focused four-nation bloc at the heart of the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy, is widely seen as tilting the balance of power against Beijing in the long run.

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