China implores on India for normalcy in ties

By Manish Anand

New Delhi, January 19: With over three years of bilateral relations frozen in the wake of the military standoff in the eastern Ladakh, China is seeking normalcy in trade ties. China has claimed that the bilateral trade relations with India are win-win for both the countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in a statement on Friday said that “India needs to fully recognize the win-win nature of China-India trade cooperation and provide a fair, just, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies investing and operating in India.”

The statement has come in the backdrop of India reiterating on several occasions that the bilateral relations cannot be normal when the border standoff prevails between the two countries. Even after 20 rounds of talks between the military commanders, India and China remain in an eyeball to eyeball situation in eastern Ladakh.

India has maintained that the trade relations cannot be delinked with the border standoff. China is apparently facing economic heat following the economy of the Communist ruled nation collapsing in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. China this week claimed that the country has achieved a five per cent growth. However, the economists globally believe that China being an opaque country may be manipulating the numbers to give an impression that it is coming out of the economic slump.

Union Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar has said recently during a book launch event that he has conveyed his Chinese counterpart that there cannot be situations where the military of the two nations face each other on the border and the economic relations also remain normal.

India has taken steps in several areas to make it hard for China to export goods to India by raising the anti-dumping duty against the Communist nation. Also, China has seen the foreign direct investment flow becoming a net negative in 2023. In contrast, the FDI is flowing into India at a record level.

The statement of the Chinese Foreign Ministry appears a sign of desperation on the part of Beijing as it enjoys a balance of trade in its favour with India. By unveiling provision of country of origin to restrict imports, China is clearly facing the cost of an unfriendly relations with India.

At the same time, China is still pursuing its strategy to encircle India. By trapping Maldives in its Belt and Road Initiative, China is seen to be a factor in the stress in India’s relations with Male.

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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