CHINA & INDIA : FRIENDS OR FOES ?

India and China had a very difficult phase of relationship in 1960s. Hindi-Chini bhai bhai (Chinese and Indians are brothers) slogan turned itself on its head with Hindi-Chini bye bye ruling the roost. Even a war broke out between the two in 1962. This happened despite a lot of popular goodwill prevailing both in China and India for each other. The irreparable tragedy of this conflict was the stroke that Mr Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India, suffered due to what he thought was a betrayal by a trusted friend. He never recovered from the stroke.
It all started with the war of maps between the two countries, with India, with British-made maps in its hands, claiming that McMohan Line was the final border of India with China. And China angrily telling India not to be a dog running with the imperialists.
Mr Nehru deployed all his skills and diplomacy to break the bamboo curtain of China and brought out Mao tse-tung, Chairman, and Chou en-lai, Prime Minister of China, out in the open forum of Non-Aligned Movement, just as Sir Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister, used his skills and diplomacy to bring out Stalin and his colleagues after breaking iron curtain after the World War II.
Of course, today things are looking up in the Indo-Chinese relationship with India's Prime Minister, Mr Manmohan Singh, in China with an Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry delegation accompanying him to explore the channels of business "to both compete and cooperate" with each other.
The first success has already been recorded. India's Jet Airways, a private airliner owned by Mr Naresh Goel, has been given its requested permission to fly Mumbai-Shanghai-San Francisco route with its fleet of triple seven (777) Boeings. Its operations are expected to start by March this year. And China"s cargo airline, the Great Wall of China, has been allowed to operate to Mumbai and Chennai and land will be given to it for its operations in these cities.
The latest reports from Beijing suggest that Chinese are now looking for Indian business investment in their country and also seek venues to invest in India.

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