China reacts cautiously to Vietnam Prime Minister’s India call

[Anony]

China was today guarded in its response to Vietnam’s appeal to India seeking support in resolving the South China Sea disputes, but expressed hope that all parties would uphold peace and stability in the region.

Asked about Vietnamese Premier Tan Dung’s call during the ASEAN-India summit, asking for India’s support for full implementation of the declaration of the code of conduct (DOC) in South China Sea dispute with China, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing that Beijing has taken note of New Delhi’s reaction in this regard.

“We noticed Indian side’s remarks and hope that in the spirit of DOC all parties will make joint efforts to uphold peace and stability of the South China Sea,” Hua said, answering a question.

Tan sought India’s support in getting the dispute resolved under the UN Convention of the Law of Seas.

External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid responded by saying that the issues needed to be resolved between the countries concerned.

Hua also reacted cautiously to India and ASEAN countries’ decision to elevate their ties to strategic partnership at the New Delhi summit, saying that improvement in relations between New Delhi and the South East Asian Bloc will contribute to regional peace and stability.

“Both India and ASEAN are important partners of China. We hope improvement of their relations will contribute to the regional peace stability of development,” Hua told the media when asked about the just concluded India-ASEAN summit.

The fast improving India-ASEAN relations, however, drew strong reactions in the official media here today.

“India launched a ‘Look East Policy’ in the early 1990s to push trade links with ASEAN, an approach interpreted by some observers as encircling China,” state-run China Daily said in its report.

“India-ASEAN cooperation has been dominated by economic concerns, but political and strategic intentions against a rising China have become more obvious since the beginning of the century,” Sun Shihai, of theChinese Academy of Social Sciences, specialising on India studies told the daily.

Sun, however, said India’s partnership with ASEAN should not be interpreted as a move infringing on China’s interests.

India’s participation in Southeast Asia will also largely expand the market between China and ASEAN, bringing in a great opportunity for economic cooperation and regional integration, Sun said.

“What is important is that India and China should build strategic mutual trust,” he said. Despite frequent high-level visits and enormous trade volume, border issues between China and India remain unresolved, he pointed out.

He said China’s trade with ASEAN countries is far greater than India’s, but India’s trade with the South East Asian bloc is also increasing.

China-ASEAN Trade totalled $292.78 billion in 2010 and posted $295.9 billion in the first 10 months of 2011.

Another Chinese strategic analyst Hu Shisheng of the South Asian studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations said, “if the markets of China, India and Asean join together in free trade and investment, all three will benefit”.

Hu said India’s partnership with ASEAN highlights its initiative to integrate into the Asia-Pacific region.

“India will not easily involve itself in the islands dispute between China and ASEAN economies,” Sun said, noting that “collaboration between India and ASEAN on maritime security was largely India’s strategic posture as a countermeasure to China’s emerging influence in the Indian Ocean”.
Posted in India

China reacts cautiously to Vietnam Prime Minister’s India call | idrw.org

 

[karan21]

I think India should remain quiet on the issue rather than making stupid calls. India needs both Japan and China for its future trade. Both are heavyweights. Infact we should slightly tilt towards China. We should unite ourselves with China instead of other small nations. India and China are going to have the largest trade in the 21st century. Why mess with someone whom we have to deal the most in next 100 yrs of development.

 

[Ajaxpaul]

India is nobody's counterbalance , but everyone should have the right to free navigation.

 

[third eye]

I think India should remain quiet on the issue rather than making stupid calls. India needs both Japan and China for its future trade. Both are heavyweights. Infact we should slightly tilt towards China. We should unite ourselves with China instead of other small nations. India and China are going to have the largest trade in the 21st century. Why mess with someone whom we have to deal the most in next 100 yrs of development.

Firstly, having your own POV does not imply messing with another. This was Uncle Sams attitude - if you are not with me, you're against me.

Next, relationships that last are not the parent - child type which most nations in S Asia follow by tagging with some power or another at different times. For things to last sucessfully it has to be an Adult to Adult relationship with respect for each others concerns & POV.

Indian has always maintained this and would like to keep things on a mature level.

The suggestion of ignoring ' smaller' nations to use your word is ill advised. What if at a later date the larger nation for whom the ' smaller' were forsaken tells you to take a walk ?

Short term advantages give short term dividends and are opted for by those who have no faith in themselves.

My POV.

 

[Contrarian]

Depends on China's response towards India.

They thought they could bully everyone including India a few years back. They started initiating new problems with India.

Then India gave a call of buying oil fields in Vietnam and about IN going to SCS. They immediately changed tack and started singing about how peace is good and all.

China as a nation understands power. If we demonstrate that we are willing to use it, they will agree to peace. If they feel the other party is either not capable or not willing to use force - they try to ramrod them. Chinese foreign policy is also testament to this.

We dont need to physically get involved, but public statements of support of US/Japan/Vietnam should suffice.

 

[Srinivas]

India should work closely with ASEAN countries where the trade balance is in India's favor, Any risk India is taking in building relationships and defense agreements is worth taking.