The recently concluded G 20 summit in Bali and the COP-27 in Sharm El Sheikh had modest outcomes at best, but the headlines that flashed all over the world were mostly about the world’s two most populous countries China and India. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting with US President Biden in Bali hogged much publicity as it addressed so many of their thorny problems.
India’s role in building consensus over the G 20 joint statement and Prime Minister Modi receiving the Gavel from Indonesian President Joko Widodo as the next host of the G-20 Summit in 2023 was perhaps the most featured picture in the world media. The handshake between Xi and Modi was most symbolic of the nature of their political relations at the moment.
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At the other end of Asia in Sharm El Sheikh, India and China played the most active role exposing the accumulated years of pollution produced by the developed countries and their failure to deliver the annual $100 billion financing to the developing countries. The new Loss and Damage Fund which was long debated in the face of resistance of the leading industrial countries was a concrete gain. In both the conferences India and China were facing a new world situation seriously affected by Covid-19, the Ukraine War and economic slow-down, climate crisis and were together as leading forces in the global negotiations.
In 2023 India will host the G-20 Summit on 9-10 September in New Delhi and will also receive the heads of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) around the same time. At the last SCO Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan when India received the mantle to hold the next meeting President Xi had congratulated India and had pledged China’s support. Remember, the two leaders had not even exchanged pleasantries in Samarkand. The sharp effects of the border confrontations since May 2020, especially the Galwan Valley fights on 15 June were clearly visible.
The developing scenario of the last few years has gradually crystallized into a new pattern of India – China relations that was indicated in responding to the Russia-Ukraine War and evident in the recent conferences. Both China and India had emerged as global players. They demanded that they be treated as equals in the comity of nations. This is despite the fact that there were unequal measures of strength in military, economic and technological spheres between the two and visà-vis other powers. Both India and China had opted for independent foreign policies with each having their degree of closeness with other powers. The close relationship between China and Russia did not lead to China supporting Russia at the UN on all occasions in connection with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In fact China and India together abstained on most resolutions. Similarly, even though India is a member of the Quad ( US, Japan, Australia being the others), it refused to approve of the US-EU economic sanctions against Russia.
The new leadership role that India has to play in global affairs presents opportunities that India should avail to pursue its cherished goals . But it can play that role effectively only if it handles its policy towards China and Pakistan well to ensure peace and normalcy, builds a national consensus on its foreign policy acknowledging the contribution of the past regimes and addresses the domestic economic problems and social issues as a democracy
