The India–China nuclear-strategic relationship has been surprisingly under studied, given the rising interest in the strategic interaction between the two countries. 1 Part of the reason is that India's nuclear capabilities have been relatively limited vis-à-vis China, though this is exaggerated by the tendency among Indian analysts to focus on the need to target Beijing. There is no evident reason why China should not be deterred by the targeting of other cities that are closer to India.
The success of the visit was limited to strengthening links of economic diplomacy between the two Asian giants, ignoring the geo-political and strategic issues that act as de-stabilisers in Sino-Indian relations.
If the achievements of Premier Wen’s visit to India were more pronounced in terms of economic content, his visit to Pakistan was more characterised by political and strategic significance.
This Brief uses irony to communicate five propositions, that can be found in several discourses on Sino-Indian ties. It evaluates these propositions in the light of the tangible and intangible gains from Premier Wen Jiabao’s second official visit to India.
China has all along been testing the limits of India’s tolerance and restraint and has once again given the Indian foreign ministry much home work for the next few months.
Primer Wen’s visit should be devoted to enhance mutual trust and confidence but this should not be done by brushing longstanding problems under the carpet.
An initiative focusing on collaboration and innovation (COIN) in energy, health, infrastructure, and knowledge-intensive industries has potential to overcome emerging fissures and enhance India-China economic relations.
The importance of the RIC trilateral initiative lies in the fact that India, Russia and China, as countries with growing international influence, can make substantive contributions to global peace, security and stability.
