China: President Xi Jinping’s South Asia policy- Implications for India

by D. S. Rajan

China’s leader Xi Jinping seems to have shifted the focus of his regime’s foreign policy including that towards South Asia from core interests to economic interests. Xi’s statement that China  is prepared to sign friendship treaties with the country’s  neighbors and the PRC’s willingness to adopt a ‘trilateral’ ( i.e China, India and the concerned South Asian country) approach towards tackling issues in South Asia ,  signal Beijing’s  new conciliatory thinking.  Nonetheless, in terms of strategy, China under Xi Jinping shows no sign of any change – balancing India by supporting Pakistan appears to be the corner stone of Xi’s regional policy; suggesting it, is the  China- Pakistan agreement on the need to have a ‘strategic balance’ in South Asia.  In a broader sense, through his regional initiatives, Xi seems to be conveying a firm message to Asian nations- China will use its increasing   power to create an Asian order which is favorable to it.

( April 27, 2015, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) To  understand  the latest position with regard to South Asia policy  of  the People’s Republic of China (PRC)  under President Xi Jinping, one has to pay close attention to what  the leader  has  said on  the subject  during his visits to New Delhi (September 2014)  and Islamabad (April 2015).  In New Delhi,   Xi, referring to South Asia’s probable emergence as the new growth pole powering the economy in Asia and even the world, stated that “a peaceful, stable and prosperous South Asia conforms to China’s interests. China is willing to align its development strategies with those of South Asian countries to achieve mutually beneficial development and common prosperity”. He considered  China’s “ one belt and one road “ proposal as one in joint interests of the PRC and South Asian nations and expressed the hope that the proposal would lead to boosting the  interconnectivity of countries along the traditional land and maritime Silk road, making their  economies prosperous and  trade complementary.  Xi added that China will cooperate with South Asian nations in lifting the two-way trade  to  US$ 150 billion  in the next five years and that the PRC will  invest US$ 30 billion  in South Asia, along with  preferential loans of US$ 20 billion  to the region. [1]

China President Xi Jinping’s South Asia Policy- Implications for India by Thavam Ratna