India and China commemorated the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations on April 1, amid the prevailing grim situation in both countries due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

On April 1, 1950, India became the first non-Socialist country in Asia to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.

India and China had finalised an ambitious 70 celebratory activities, but it may not take place in the near future as both the countries were going through most difficult times dealing with the pandemic. 

Messages of felicitations were exchanged between the presidents, prime ministers and external affairs ministers of India and China. 

China-India relations are standing at a new starting point and facing new opportunities, President Xi Jinping said, exchanging congratulatory messages with his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind. Xi said China-India relations have experienced extraordinary development during the past 70 years.

With joint efforts of both sides, the two countries have established a strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity, and are endeavouring to build an even closer partnership of development, he said.

Xi, who held two informal summits with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Wuhan and later in Mamallapuram in 2018 and 2019, said that the two sides enjoy increasingly deepening bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and constantly improving coordination on important regional and international affairs.

Prime Minister Modi, in his message to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, said the coronavirus pandemic is a reminder of the interconnected nature of the world and the need for adopting a global response to it. Modi also said good bilateral relations are conducive not only for the two countries, but also important from the perspective of peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world.

History of India-China bilateral ties

Diplomatic relations

Prime Minister Nehru visited China in October 1954. Though the border conflict in 1962 was a setback to ties, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s landmark visit in 1988 marked the beginning of improvement in bilateral relations. 

In 1993, the signing of an agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) during PM Narasimha Rao’s visit reflected the growing stability in bilateral ties.

During PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit in 2003, India and China signed the Declaration on Principles for Relations and Comprehensive Cooperation and also mutually decided to appoint Special Representatives (SRs) to explore the framework of a boundary settlement. 

2018 witnessed an upward swing in the momentum of ties. In April 2018, PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping held the first informal summit in Wuhan to exchange views on overarching issues of bilateral and global importance and elaborated upon their respective visions and priorities for national development. 

The two leaders have also visited each other’s countries to attend various multilateral summits.

India and China have established more than thirty dialogue mechanisms at various levels, covering bilateral political, economic, consular matters as well as dialogues on regional and global issues.

Following establishment of the mechanism of Special Representatives  on the India-China Boundary Question in 2003, 22 rounds of talks have been held. 

In 2017, the bilateral ties were marred by rancour and bitterness over the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — a pet project of President Xi Jinping — followed by the 73-day standoff at Doklam.

Under the strategic guidance of the two leaders, the two countries resumed joint military drill in 2018. India and China are taking forward cooperation in the field of defence. The eighth edition of joint training exercise ‘Hand-in-Hand’ with the theme counter terrorism under United Nations mandate was conducted in Meghalaya in December 2019.

Border disputes

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488 km long Line of Actual Control (LAC). While China claims Arunachal Pradesh as Southern Tibet, India asserts that the dispute covers Aksai Chin area which was occupied by China during the 1962 war. 

According to a reply in Lok Sabha, the Indian government has said that China is in illegal occupation of approximately 38,000 square kilometers of territory in  Jammu & Kashmir since 1962. In addition, under the so-called China-Pakistan ‘Boundary Agreement’ of 1963, Pakistan illegally ceded 5,180 sq km of Indian territory in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to China. 

In the eastern sector, China claims approximately 90,000 sq km of Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh. The fact that Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir are integral and inalienable parts of India has been clearly conveyed to the Chinese side on several occasions including at the highest level, the ministry of external affairs has said. 

The 73-day long military standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam region in 2017 was seen as the most serious between the two Asian giants in decades. On June 16, 2017, Chinese troops with construction vehicles and road-building equipment began extending an existing road southward in Doklam. It has been depicted as part of Bhutan in the country’s maps since 1961, but it is also claimed by China. Indian troops moved in to prevent the Chinese troops, with New Delhi claiming to have acted on behalf of Bhutan, with which it has a ‘special relationship’.

Trade relations

The trade and economic relationship between India and China has seen a rapid growth in the last few years. Trade volume between the two countries in the beginning of the century, year 2000, stood at $3 billion. In 2008, bilateral trade reached $51.8 billion with China replacing the US as India’s largest trading partner in goods. In 2018, bilateral trade reached an all-time high of $95.54 billion.

India was the seventh largest export destination for Chinese products, and the 27th largest exporter to China. India’s major export items included cotton, copper and diamonds/natural gems. Major Chinese exports include machinery, telecom and power-related equipment, organic chemicals, and fertilisers.

According to the ministry of commerce of China, cumulative Chinese investment in India till the end of December 2017 amounted to $4.747 billion. Cumulative Indian investment in China till September 2017 was $851.91 million.

Chinese investment in Indian startups has grown over the years. Many Indian companies have set up Chinese operations to service both their Indian and MNC clientele in China. More than 100 Chinese companies have established offices/operations in India.

Rise in education cooperation

The cooperation in the education sector between the two sides has resulted in an increase in the number of Indian students in China. At present, there are around 23,000 Indian students studying in various universities in China in various disciplines.

India and China have signed the Education Exchange Programme (EEP), which is an umbrella agreement for educational cooperation between the two countries. Under the agreement, Chinese government provides 100 scholarships annually for Indian students to study in China. It also provides for enhanced cooperation between institutions in the field of vocational education, collaboration between institutes of higher learning, etc. 

Present estimates put the strength of the Indian community in China at around 30,000, a major portion of which comprises of students. A number of Indians and PIOs are also working as professionals with various multinational and Indian companies.

Cultural relations

India-China cultural exchanges date back to many centuries and there is some evidence that conceptual and linguistic exchanges existed in 1500-1000 BC between the Shang-Zhou civilization and the ancient Vedic Civilization. During the first, second and third centuries AD several Buddhist pilgrims and scholars travelled to China on the historic ‘silk route’. Kashyapa Matanga and Dharmaratna made the White Horse monastery at Luoyang their abode. Ancient Indian monk-scholars such as Kumarajiva, Bodhidharma and Dharmakshema contributed to the spread of Buddhism in China. Similarly, Chinese pilgrims also undertook journeys to India, the most famous among them being Faxian and Xuanzang.

Yoga is becoming increasingly popular in China. China was one of the co-sponsors to the UN resolution designating June 21 as the International Day of Yoga.

Indian movies were popular in China in the 1960s and 1970s. During the past decade, Indian movies found more acceptance in China. Both nations  have entered into an agreement on co-production of movies. Many recent Hindi movies like 3 Idiots, Dangal, Secret Superstar, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Andhadhun turned superhits in the Chinese box office.

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