Anand Kumar replies: India and China excel in different areas while engaging the African countries. China is better placed in terms of funding infrastructure development which it is doing at a massive scale in the continent. Africa has a major deficit of infrastructure and Chinese are presently trying to fill this gap, though questions have been raised about the costing of these projects. In view of limited options, Africa has been relying on Chinese companies to build their infrastructure.

Rup Narayan Das replies: Economic engagement in terms of trade, commerce and investment between two sovereign countries is always normal and legitimate, and no third country should have any qualms about it. Like apple and orange, it would be unfair to compare China’s economic engagement with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar with that of India. China’s gross domestic product (GDP) is roughly five times that of India and it also has a robust reserve of foreign exchange, which it is investing through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Raviprasad Narayanan replies: International relations are going through an animated phase where the 'order' scripted by the United States since the second world war has reached a point of stasis with China emerging as an alternative in economic potential and ideas that do not speak of political values the 'free world' espouses.

In other words, China is the new determinant, no longer the erstwhile variable inspiring misgivings to established actors speaking the language of irrational exuberance.

Ashok Kumar Behuria replies: De-hyphenation is a policy adopted by countries to maximise their strategic returns from their diplomatic engagements/investments with two adversarial states, both of whom are of consequence to them. It insulates them in some way from the inadvertent turbulence that could result out of their possible hostile interaction and, thus, affect their relationship with both.

Parama Sinha Palit replies: Given the definition of the term ‘cultural appropriation’ as the “adoption of elements of a minority culture by members of the dominant culture”, I don’t think it can be applied in China’s case with respect to these two regions. It is more an attempt to influence culturally with an eye to fashion a diplomacy which is both benign and tactical.