Democracy not an excuse to hinder India-China ties: Think tank

Singh raised issues like the trade imbalance and Sino-Pakistani ties with the Chinese side during his visit to China

India has to overcome "domestic impediments" and "political obstacles" and not let its democracy hinder the development of ties with China, an official think tank today said in its first commentary on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent visit here.

"The signing of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement between China and India was hailed by Indian media as the most significant and enduring diplomatic achievement since the birth of the US-India Civil Nuclear Agreement," an article written by Liu Zengyi, a research fellow of the Shanghai Institute of International Studies said.

During his recent visit to China, Singh also raised issues including the trade imbalance and Sino-Pakistani ties with the Chinese side, it said the article titled "Domestic obstacles keep Delhi from realistic economic choices", published in the state-run Global Times here today said.

China's plans of setting up industrial parks in India, promoting regional economic cooperation and the Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor were not fulfilled, it said.

However, the specific fruits for Beijing and New Delhi do not really mean gains or losses in their respective diplomatic efforts, it said highlighting Singh's comments that "when India and China shake hands, the world takes notice".

Some internal factors in India included "obstacles from opposition parties, the public resistance against foreign capital, the outdated labour law institutions and the existence of established interest groups," it said.

"India has to overcome more domestic impediments than China. Its democracy should not become an excuse to hinder the development of its relations with Beijing," it said.

India's domestic concerns about the BCIM Corridor are mainly due to the unsettled border disputes and apprehensions that the opening-up of its northeastern region may pose a threat to its security if conflicts take place, it said.

"The signature of the border defence cooperation may help dispel India's worries on national security, since it ensures that the two sides will not resort to force to solve border controversies by law. And economic integration will not only inject vitality to the region, but also weaken popular support for the rebels," it said.

"The mutual visits by top officials from both sides this year represent a milestone in Sino-Indian ties. High-level exchanges between the two Asian emerging powers will become institutionalised, pushing forward the bilateral relationship," it said.