When China meets India

He Fan

Chinese President Xi Jinping chose Russia when he made his first state visit. Now Li Keqiang, the new premier, has chosen India as the first stop of his overseas debut. Both choices echo the policy of building “new big power relations”, a phrase recently minted by the incoming leadership.

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Economic cooperation has always been conveniently called in to smooth over border disputes. For those involved in trade and investment, the border dispute is insignificant. Bilateral trade between the two increased from $2.9 billion in 2000 to around $80 billion in 2012.

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It is in this perspective that the Chinese Premier‟s visit takes centrestage. Li Keqiang‟s Delhi visit provides a golden opportunity for both countries to script a fresh and more positive chapter in China-India relations and must not be squandered away.

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Curiously enough, China‟s new march of structural reforms also emphasises the development of its service sector. IT and healthcare are among the priorities of the reform agenda for the new Chinese administration. It will be quite amazing to see what kind of cooperation China and India can clinch on these areas. A joint endeavor here would surely reach commanding heights for a new kind of industrial revolution.

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