The relationship between India and the "Belt and Road"
India is the largest country in South Asia and a major country in the Indian Ocean. It is an important node country on the “Belt and Road” initiative. For the "Belt and Road", whether it is the Silk Road Economic Belt or the Maritime Silk Road, India has a great influence.
(1) The origin of India and the "Belt and Road"
The "Silk Road" is not a road, but the sum of the road network linking Asia and Europe to the East and West. Several major channels of the "Silk Road" have close ties with India.
The Northern Grassland Silk Road has a crucial impact on the historical development of India. The nomadic peoples who invaded India in all generations have traversed this road. The Aryans who first invaded India, and later the Cypriots, Kanda, Huns, and Mongolians all entered India through this road. The Dayueshi people entered India through the second Silk Road, the "Desert Silk Road". The Grassland Silk Road and the Desert Silk Road can be collectively referred to as the "Northern Silk Road".
The main transportation route connecting China to India through the southeast coast is also a long time ago. Long before the Han dynasty, Indian civilization used this road to enter Southeast Asia and even the southeastern coastal areas of China. With the development of science and technology and nautical technology, and the northern Silk Road is gradually blocked, the "maritime Silk Road" has achieved great development. More and more factors of Chinese civilization have used this road to connect with India. Western European colonists and Western civilizations can also be said to use this Silk Road to enter India.
In addition to the two Silk Roads mentioned above, there is a third Silk Road in Southwest China, the Southwest Silk Road. This silk is divided into two parts: one starts from Chengdu, Sichuan, and reaches India via Yunnan and Myanmar, and the other crosses the Tibetan plateau to India. This road is also known as the "old tea horse road". The Southwest Silk Road has become the third important commercial road for economic, trade, and cultural exchanges between China and India.
All three Silk Roads take India as the direction of progress. However, India is only a transit point, with further targets in Europe and East Africa and North Africa. Historically, India has been closely related to the Silk Road. Both benefit and suffer.
The Silk Road is Chinese because silk is produced in China. The Silk Road is also Iranian because the road is under Persian control. The Silk Road is also India, because India is the way forward and an important transit point.
(2) The relationship between India and China in the development of the “Belt and Road”
India and China have a competitive and cooperative relationship in both directions of the “Belt and Road” initiative.
1. India hopes to accelerate development with the help of the “Belt and Road” initiative
India needs to use the “Belt and Road” to develop cooperation with China in all aspects.
India ’s first prime minister, Nehru, clearly stated India ’s position in the world in the book “Discovery of India”: “In India ’s position, it is impossible for India to play a second-rate role in the world. Or do A big and colorful country will either disappear. ”India is a country with ambitions, but its national strength is not entirely commensurate with its ambitions. China ’s promotion of the “Belt and Road” initiative can help India develop its economy, especially increase investment and development industry. This is what India lacks, and India is desperate for it.
Based on the “Belt and Road” development framework, there are many areas for cooperation between China and India.
On September 14-19, 2014, President Xi Jinping launched state visits to the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and India, and South Asia. During this visit, Indian Prime Minister Modi agreed to integrate his own economic development strategy with China ’s “Belt and Road”, and to closely integrate China ’s advantages with India ’s development needs. The two countries have been successfully cooperating on the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor initiative. If India gains the benefits promised by the economic corridor initiative in the future, it will be encouraged and inclined to expand cooperation.
India ’s Central Asia strategy is inseparable from China. Historically, India and Central Asia have deep roots. India has always regarded Central Asian countries as an extension of its power. After the end of the Cold War, India continued to promote diplomatic relations with Central Asian countries, hoping to expand its influence in Central Asia. Central Asia is not only an important area for India to realize its dream of a big country, but also an indispensable area and a key area for the construction of China's Silk Road Economic Belt. The two countries have some competition in Central Asia, but they also share common goals in politics, economy, energy, and culture, and cooperation is needed.
India also pays more and more attention to the ecological environment. With the serious pollution of the Ganges, India has formulated a "clean Ganges" plan, and has also taken certain measures in the development and utilization of new energy. India attaches importance to developing ecological cooperation with neighboring countries, which is in line with the "green silk road" concept advocated in our Silk Road Economic Belt.
In promoting regional connectivity, New Delhi and Beijing have common long-term interests. From an economic and commercial perspective, India understands that smooth maritime connectivity will bring opportunities for its own economic development. India ’s demand for infrastructure such as ports, highways, highways, telecommunications, and power is very urgent. It also urgently needs a lot of investment to change the weak manufacturing industry and provide employment opportunities for the increasing number of unemployed young people.
The Indian Ocean has important interests for India. As part of its newly launched "Cotton Road", India is further advancing its maritime interconnection plan, strengthening infrastructure and interconnection construction, with the aim of enhancing its economic cooperation and strategic partnership with other countries in the Indian Ocean region. However, although India attaches great importance to it and has repeatedly tried to solve this problem, it has been unable to promote substantial progress. On the contrary, China has become an important maritime power in the world and is providing maritime infrastructure to friendly countries. Therefore, "One Road" can be regarded as an important development opportunity for India.
The advancement of the “Belt and Road” cannot be achieved without financial development. India actively cooperates with China's efforts in the construction of international financial institutions and becomes one of the founding members of the Asian Investment Bank and the BRICS Bank. It has conducted in-depth cooperation with China and is an important partner of China.
2. India is full of vigilance on the “Belt and Road” initiative
The “Belt and Road” has a major interest relationship with India. However, India is full of vigilance for the advancement of the “Belt and Road” initiative.
India regards the "Belt and Road" as China's "authoritative challenge" to India in the Indian Ocean region, and believes that the "Belt and Road" will greatly strengthen China's commercial, economic, political and security influence on India's neighbors. Under the auspices of Beijing, China ’s export of funds, labor, technology, industrial standards, commercial standards, RMB internationalization, development of ports, industrial parks, special economic zones, and military facilities, etc., thereby marginalizing New Delhi ’s regional advantages.
In South Asia, India is a dominant country, dominating the South Asian landscape. China ’s involvement in the Indian Ocean will increase the centrifugal force of South Asian countries relative to India. Smaller countries such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh may think that China is a source of opportunity, or even to some extent, be regarded as a balancing force that reduces its dependence on India.
Most Indian strategists emphasized that the “Belt and Road” initiative poses a “strategic threat” to India ’s dominance in the Indian Ocean, causing Chinese forces to “surround” India from the north (Pakistan), the east (Bangladesh and Myanmar) and the south (Sri Lanka) This severely limits the scope of India ’s influence.
Among specific projects, India has more doubts about the “Belt and Road” initiative. For example, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India claimed that the “Belt and Road” China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project jointly planned by China and Pakistan traversed parts of Kashmir claimed by India. "Complete core interest projects", therefore met with opposition from India.
Faced with the advancement of the "Belt and Road", India faces a dilemma. On the one hand, it is necessary to comprehensively deepen cooperation with China in related fields. On the other hand, it is necessary to limit China's influence in Central Asia, South Asia, and the Indian Ocean in the long term. The coordination between the two is a difficult task that tests the political wisdom of India.
Specifically, China's infrastructure construction in the Indian Ocean has advantages and disadvantages for India, and the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Cooperation between China and India in Central Asia and the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor is of great interest to India. Cooperation between China and India in security is also very much needed by India. But China's construction of the "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor" may greatly damage India's interests.
Due to various concerns, India did not participate in the “Belt and Road” International Cooperation Summit Forum held in Beijing in May 2017.
(3) China and India should promote mutual understanding and cooperation based on the “Belt and Road” initiative
The solution to the dilemma lies in strengthening mutual understanding and cooperation between China and India.
1. China and India need to strengthen mutual understanding
In the long run, China-India relations are one of China's most important foreign relations. However, since the reform and opening up, China has focused on the United States and the Western world and is indifferent to third-world countries such as India. China ’s understanding of India is still superficial. As a result, many of China's policies towards India remain in the tactical field, and lack a clear long-term strategic intention.
Correspondingly, India is also looking towards the West. Whether it is policy circles or academic circles, it generally does not understand China. The media and public intellectuals are keen to speak, but they lack the accumulation of in-depth study of China.
Under such circumstances, it is easy for China and India to misunderstand each other because they do not understand each other, it is difficult to have a correct foreign policy, and it is difficult to establish an effective China-India relationship and affect in-depth cooperation.
India ’s doubts about the “Belt and Road” are also largely due to its lack of understanding. India believes that China's "One Road" lacks strategic transparency and needs to inform India what China's initiatives include, what to do and how to do it. The Indian Foreign Minister believes that India does not need to write a “null check” for China ’s plan, but will cooperate with China where the interests converge. The official position of India is still waiting for China to provide more specific details. In response to media questions, the spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Akbaruddin also made it clear that neither India ’s “monsoon plan” or “Spice Road” is opposed to China ’s “Belt and Road”. It is not a parallel or mutually substituted relationship.
The change of attitude of Russia can be used for reference. Therefore, in order to promote cooperation between India and China on the “Belt and Road” issue, more in-depth and detailed exchanges can be carried out on their specific projects to dispel worries and promote cooperation.
2. China and India need to deepen mutual trust in cooperation
Although China's increasingly frequent activities in the Indian Ocean may be considered to seek to dominate the Indian Ocean and pose a threat to India's national security. However, China and India have many common interests at the same time, which has created conditions for China and India to carry out in-depth cooperation based on the “Belt and Road” framework.
The current Modi Government of India attaches great importance to the development space of Sino-Indian cooperation in its overall foreign policy. Since taking office, Modi has pursued a foreign policy with six characteristics: give priority to economic development, focus on neighboring neighbors, strive to resolve border tensions, expand contacts between India and Asian countries, strengthen cooperation with major powers, and provide Learn how to deal with multilateral issues.
Modi hopes to bring China's development experience to India. The Modi government made it clear that any Indian economic strategy involves China's important role. India attaches importance to economic growth and recognizes China ’s role, and it is possible to build an economic partnership between the two countries, thereby positively influencing India ’s policy on the Maritime Silk Road. India ’s participation in China ’s multilateral efforts and working with China to establish another new financial order in Asia is an important factor that may bring India and China closer together. Through continuous contact and cooperation between China and India and continuous early gains in cooperation, it will effectively strengthen the trust between the two sides and encourage the two sides to carry out in-depth cooperation in more and more fields.
