Beijing demonstrates growing interest in the region

China's president Xi Jinping's recent South Asian swing was aimed at strengthening ties with the regional nations. It was also meant to reduce tensions with India. The two powerful neighbours are at loggerheads on the issue of border demarcation despite their growing trade and economic relationship.

The Chinese president first visited the Maldives, the Indian ocean island state of small population but strategically important for its location. President Xi said he hoped the Maldives would help build a "21st century maritime silk road" that would revive a trade route running from China through southeast Asia and Indian ocean to Europe.

From the Maldives, the Chinese leader flew to Sri Lanka, a close ally, and then wrapped up his regional trip with a rare visit to India by a Chinese leader. In India, he held discussions on different issues including the longstanding border dispute that remains a major irritant to developing bilateral relations. The new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has spoken strongly against Beijing both before the elections and after taking over as the prime minister a few months ago, rolled out red carpet for the visiting dignitary from the neighbouring nation amidst minor tensions along the Ladakh border centring the presence of Chinese troops allegedly on the Indian soil.

Two leaders resolved to settle the border dispute with "reasonable and constructive" approach although the analysts believe that the task is quite Herculean because of the diametrically opposite claims by two nations. They fought a border war in 1962 and New Delhi says Beijing occupies huge Indian territories in the Arunachal state and Ladakh region along Kashmir. Beijing seeks to turn the table on India, saying no Indian territory is under its occupation and on the contrary, Chinese territories are occupied by India.

President Xi's was also due to visit close ally Pakistan, but had to postpone the visit because of political instability in that country.

Xi's was the first visit by a Chinese head of government to the Maldives since the former British protectorate gained independence in 1965. Xi, however, earlier met Maldive's President Abdullah Yameen in Chinese city of Nanjing. Male received assurances of assistance from president Xi, but was keen to avoid upsetting India by bringing up sensitive security issues as New Delhi considers the island state to be within its sphere on influence.

India regards China's growing influence among its neighbours with concern, leading Prime Minister Modi to prioritise regional relationships that, critics say, the previous Congress-led UPA government neglected. But Modi invited the Chinese leader to visit his country. He had also invited regional SAARC leaders at his oath-taking ceremony on May 26 last - an extraordinary gesture indeed.

Sri Lanka's ties with China grew stronger when the government was supported and assisted by Beijing in crushing a three-decade-long insurgency by the Tamil separatists in the north of the country. President Mahinda Rajapakse, who presided over the crushing of the formidable Tamil separatist movement, has special reasons for being grateful to Beijing. Two sides reached a number of understandings on cooperation in different fields.

The Chinese president's India visit was a subject of close interest and monitoring. Two countries have vast trade relations and interactions in business and economic areas. This has been possible as both decided to keep the vexed border issue on the backburner while sticking to their respective claims. Xi was also in Ahmedabad, the capital of Modi's native Gujarat state, and held talks with the Indian leaders in New Delhi. Xi met among others former prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and president of the Congress party Sonia Gandhi, whose organisation ruled India for uninterrupted ten years in two terms until Modi's BJP party took over following massive election victory early this year.

Among other issues, a new development has been that China now joins other nations in eyeing India's civil nuclear sector. Beijing became the latest country to line up for a stake in India's civil nuclear energy after the US, France, Russia and several others. During the Chinese president's visit, two sides agreed to open talks on cooperation on the sector that India sees as a solution to its perennial power problem.

Two sides agreed on many other economic issues including huge Chinese investment in some key sectors. A positive outcome of Xi's visit is that Chinese troops have reportedly been withdrawn from the areas along Ladakh, where they had "entered" earlier. Indian media called this a good development while the real border dispute is too contentious to be resolved in the near future.

Prime Minister Modi, during a visit to Arunachal area before the elections, charged China with "expansionism" and reiterated the same when he visited Japan as the prime minister sometime ago. Both New Delhi and Tokyo look askance at the "designs" of China as they consider Beijing nurtures sea and land territorial ambitions along with political and military influence in Asia.

[email protected]