China-India Relationship in the Shadow of China-United States Strategic Competition (30 Jul 2019)

Dr Guo Xuetang

30 July 2019

About the Seminar: After going through a difficult period in the past five years over bilateral and regional issues, particularly over the Donglang Crisis in the second half of 2017, Beijing and New Delhi have realised the importance of stability in their bilateral relationship to their long-term national development and in facing international challenges, such as climate change, counter-terrorism, trade protectionism and unilateralism, among others.

 

However, distrust continues to exist between China and India in the shadow of China-United States (US) strategic competition and in light of changing global geopolitics, apart from several bilateral issues such as the border disputes, the Dalai Lama, etc. India’s anxiety over China’s growing political, economic and military influence has also grown since the Belt and Road Initiative ‘clashed’ with the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy in the ASEAN region and in South Asia.

 

Will China and India cooperate to deepen bilateral trade and investment cooperation and expand cultural exchanges so as to decrease the strategic trust deficit? Does New Delhi regard the trade war between China and the US as an opportunity to seek greater compromise from Beijing on bilateral disputes? Phrased differently, to what extent will the Indian government work with Washington to counter China’s power growth in the Indian Ocean region? Will the China-India strategic relationship enhance or destabilise the Indo-Pacific region? Also, where is this strategic and cooperative partnership headed in the face of an “America First” US government?

 

Speaker:
Professor Guo Xuetang
Visiting Scholar, Institute of South Asian Studies, NUS; and
Professor of International Relations Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, Shanghai

 

Chairperson:
Professor C Raja Mohan
Director, Institute of South Asian Studies National University of Singapore