China must look afresh at Indian ties under rejuvenated Modi: Global Times

Says bilateral relations have recently entered a subtle and delicate phase under a ‘man of action’

With a message that Narendra Modi was here to stay and that China must rethink its ties with its neighbour, the Global Times has urged Beijing to read the changes in India as “an opportunity to give more consideration over how to make breakthroughs in Beijing-New Delhi relations with a hard-line Indian government.”

A leading Chinese daily affiliated with the flagship People’s Daily on Thursday signaled that China should take a fresh look at its ties with India following the recent assembly elections, which demonstrate the likelihood of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s long-term dominance over Indian politics.

An op-ed in the Global Times on Thursday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s “sweeping electoral victory in Uttar Pradesh,” has “not only increased Modi’s chance to win in India's 2019 general elections, some even predict he is already set for a second term.”

Focus on bilateral ties

It highlighted that since “Beijing-New Delhi ties have recently entered a subtle and delicate phase, observers soon started to pay close attention to how the bilateral relationship will develop after Modi tightens his grip on power.”

Signaling the need for re-thinking, the daily said that China should read the changes in India as “an opportunity to give more consideration over how to make breakthroughs in Beijing-New Delhi relations with a hard-line Indian government.”

The write-up described Mr. Modi as “a man of action, rather than a politician with only slogans,” whose success stemmed from his stance on development as well as efforts to carry out economic reform and attract foreign investment.

“He has people’s support”

Long Xingchun, Director of Center of India Studies, China West Normal University told The Hindu that the recent elections embody “the eagerness of the Indian people to pursue development and this has resulted in strong support for Mr. Modi.” He added: “[Mr.] Modi is becoming a strong leader with people’s support. This would enable him to make bold decisions to solve major problems with China.”

The Global Times noted that hard-liners by nature find it difficult to make compromises, but, once convinced, they are also capable of taking decisive action.

“If [Mr.] Modi wins the next election, India’s current firm and tough manner is bound to continue. It will be without question good news for the country’s own development. Nevertheless, it will likely mean more difficulties in making compromises in rows with other countries.”

Optimism on border rows

It added: “But while seeming inflexible on the surface, hard-liners also have powerful strength in coming to an agreement with others once they make up their mind, given their executive ability and high efficiency. That said, we can still be optimistic in resolving our divergences, including border disputes, with New Delhi during Modi’s term as long as both sides are willing.”

The daily pointed out that India, under Prime Minister Modi, was pursuing multi-vectored diplomacy, engaging with all the major players in the international system. “He [Mr. Modi] enhanced New Delhi’s ties with China and Moscow and applied to be a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Yet he also upgraded defence collaboration with the US and Japan, articulated his support for the US rebalance to the Asia-Pacific strategy and Washington’s stance on the South China Sea issue.”

“He hadn’t offended anyone”

The op-ed observed that Mr. Modi “changed India’s previous attitude of trying never to offend anyone and started to take a clear stance in controversies among other nations to maximise its own interests.”