“Four decades of reform and opening up had catapulted China into the second largest economy and the second largest defence spender in the world, besides its appetite having changed from strategic guidelines of Deng Xiaoping’s ‘keep a low profile’ to that of ‘accomplish something’ under Xi Jinping,” according to Srikanth Kondapalli, a leading China expert and Chairman, Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He was delivering the keynote address at the two-day international conference on “Engaging Rising China: Strategic Options for Emerging India” organised by the Institute for Contemporary Chinese Studies (ICCS), Mahatma Gandhi University in collaboration with the School of International Relations and Politics (SIRP) of the university and the Institute of Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Kerala today.
Professor Kondapalli said that “China’s rise has been a defining moment in the recent global history which was accomplished in just about four decades, compared to nearly a century and half by the United States before the Second World War.” It “is reflected in its hard and soft power increase and indicated by it becoming the second largest economy of over $13 trillion by 2018 contributed much by the manufacturing sector but changed recently with the service sector increasing its share of the GDP. China had also launched the Fourth Industrial Revolution in 2015 for a decade to materialize with cutting edge technologies like artificial intelligence, new energy vehicles, drones, robotics and others, although last year China has been silent on this aspect due to the concerns of the United States. China rise is also reflected in defence spending which has risen to more than $170 billion by 2019 – the second largest in the world after the US.”
Professor Kondapalli noted that “the rise of China has necessitated India to re-adjust its policies with engagement policies as a dominant theme towards China in the past several decades. However, in economic relations, such an engagement policy is limited to basic and above-board economic interactions. However, with trade deficit increasing to nearly $700 billion in the last decade and half in favour of China, India has been lukewarm to Beijing’s suggestions for a free trade area and concluding of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement. Also, depending the health of the bilateral relations, there is a chance for change in the engagement policy towards status quo, balance of power or even containment policies.” He also said that “to an extent, despite the long-term existence of engagement policies, there are several factors that affect the sustainable and irreversible process of engagement policies. Both India and China have formed into a “collective force” in the UN, SCO and others although differences persist on the UNSC or on terrorism issues that could threaten any unity between the two.”
According to Bertel Heurlin, Jean Monnet Professor and Director of China Security Studies, University of Copenhagen, “India is on its way to be richer, freer, smarter, more equal, more secure, just and more regulated” in the coming years. India is also “taking serious regional responsibility and increasing global responsibility” while being “a growing military power.” He said that “India’s strategic culture is in tune with the current world order incitement to avoid war.” Further, “in tune with the fundamental claim that states still matter, but that the states that matter most are states which are including differing religions, cultures, languages, ethnic and national groupings and identities and still are acting as one unit, India is a world model,” he noted.
Dr. Huang Yinghong, Sun Yat-Sen University, China, Dr. Bama Dev Sigdel, Center for Policy Studies, Nepal, Liang MENG, Wuhan University, China, Kmala Kumari, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Prakash Raj, University of Hyderabad, Xiaochao Zhu, Wuhan University, China, Kush Kumar Gayasen, University of Delhi, Pankaj Jha, Jindal School of International Affairs, W. Lawrence S. Prabhakar, Madras Christian College, Chennai, Rajiv Ranjan, Shanghai University, China, Vivek Mishra, Netaji Institute for Asian Studies, Kolkata, Nishant Bhardwaj, University of Delhi, and others made presentations in different panels.
Dr. Sabu Thomas Vice Chancellor of MGU inaugurated the Conference.
Sri. PK Harikumar, Member Syndicate also participated in the session. Dr. AM Thomas, Director, SIRP chaired and Dr. C.Vinodan, Director, ICCS welcomed the session. K.M. Seethi, Dean of Social Sciences and others chaired in different academic panels.
The Conference will continue on Saturday. Swaran Sing, Professor of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University will deliver the valedictory address at 2 PM on 16 March.
