The China Daily editorial for September 6, “China and India Can Be Pillars of Asian Century,” took the occasion of India’s surpassing the United Kingdom this year, and becoming the world’s fifth-largest economy, to pose a principled alliance. First, “China is happy to see India’s development. The two countries are partners and opportunities to each other, rather than threats, and both China and India are committed to multilateralism and share a common interest in maintaining regional peace and security.”
Speaking on behalf of the Communist Party of China, the official editorial welcomes India’s strong voice for underdeveloped countries of the world, but singles out India’s unique position for bridging the “Cold War” divisions of recent times. The US wants India in the Quad and in Biden’s “Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity,” while is friendly and open to Russia, a member of the BRICS, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. (Of some note, both China and India were sharing the same military exercise at Vostok, Russia, when the editorial was published.)
Then China’s concern: “But for India to enjoy more diplomatic space it needs to maintain its strategic independence. India will not become a major power if it submits to being a piece on Washington’s game board. The pressure the US has been exerting on India for its neutrality on the Ukraine crisis speaks volumes of Washington’s intentions to solicit New Delhi to participate in its games. To contain China is a major reason that the US is trying to curry favor with India.”
It concludes: “India should take full advantage of its role as a bridge between the two sides of the divide that is forming, and maintain its strategic independence. By doing so, it can set itself at a higher stage to better fulfill its international responsibility as a major player in the world.
“China and India have a lot to do to improve the well-being of their people and their common interests far outweigh their differences. They should not let their border dispute, which is essentially a legacy problem of the colonial era, be an obstacle preventing them from advancing their partnership.
“The two neighbors have no reasons not to work together to usher in the “Asian Century” — something the early generations of leaders of the two sides envisioned decades ago when they firmly upheld the nonalignment principle and Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence with other developing countries. To do so, India needs to maintain its long-term strategic independence and not let the US drive a wedge between it and China.”
