EVENTS

Abstract

China-India relations are marked by a rather shrill discourse where the ‘other’ is a constant. This ‘otherness’ is reflected in civilizational terms, historical narratives, political identities, economic performance, cultural frames and other categories. Recent events and narratives, have only sharpened the tropes by which this ‘otherness’ gets reified. Are competitive semantics ‘normal’ in the bilateral or are there exceptions to this cacophony?

This talk on China-India relations brings out consistencies and inconsistencies in bilateral relations and explores how to constructively build a deep and engaging relationship where inadequacies are balanced by a vision for a stronger bilateral, accommodating differences. An exception to the otherwise polarized debates on the bilateral is the issue of climate change, especially the phase leading to Copenhagen COP 2009. This event brought out aspects of cooperation on non-traditional issues in a bilateral framework imposing itself in a multilateral setting. Does this instance satisfy other aspects of the China-India bilateral? Or, was it a one off? The issue of climate change as a vector necessitating congruence between the two countries will be elucidated in detail arguing for the need to find symbiosis on issues of common concern while constructing a template to resolve contentious issues. 

About the Speaker 

Dr. Raviprasad Narayanan is Associate Professor, Center for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He was earlier Associate Research Fellow with the Institute of International Relations, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan