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Speaking a common language

Pallavi Aiyar

The response to Pranab Mukherjee's visit has been positive in China.

INCREASINGLY PRICKLY about the United States' criticisms regarding its military modernisation, China has welcomed India's position that it sees no military threat from China. This is, in fact, a sea change in attitude from just a few years ago. When India tested its nuclear bomb in 1998 China was pointed to as the chief military threat in response to which the test had been conducted.

Less than a decade later, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee is currently visiting China with a very different message.

Mr. Mukherjee was given an in-depth presentation on China's military modernisation efforts on Tuesday afternoon by General Guo Boxiong, Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission. "We both reiterated that reform of the military should not be seen as a threat to each other," said Mr. Mukherjee.

The Minister added that following the MoU, "there will be greater exchanges of defence related information in the future," so that India need not be "concerned" by China's military expansion. "They are modernising, but so are we," said Mr. Mukherjee. "Military modernisation is an ongoing process in every country."

The Chinese media have highlighted India's stance as Mr. Mukherjee having "distanced himself from his Japanese counterpart." The Minister was in Japan prior to his five-day China visit.

According to an article in the China Daily, while in Japan, Mr. Mukherjee was told of Tokyo's concerns regarding China's military build-up, and India's support was sought in calling for greater transparency in Beijing's defence programmes and capability for the sake of stability in Asia.

The article went on to quote Mr. Mukherjee as saying that, "China is an important military power from the beginning. We are fully aware of it, but every country has its own perception of the development and modernisation of their armed forces."

Increased defence spending

China's defence budget has been burgeoning in recent years. Beijing officially projects a growth in defence spending of 14.5 per cent this year to about $35 billion. But a recent Pentagon report estimated that the true figure might be closer to $105 billion — when all military related spending is accounted for.

The report goes on to detail China's massive investments in cruise missiles, precision weapons, and guidance systems that would enable it to project power far beyond its own shores. China is buying Russian aircraft such as the IL-76 transport and IL-78 tanker aircraft and has also shown interest in the Su-33 maritime strike aircraft. Both Japan and the U.S. have voiced concerns over what they see to be the "opaque" nature of China's military modernisation.

In the meantime, India too is endeavouring to expand and modernise its military capabilities. Mr. Mukherjee's visit to Japan was reportedly partially aimed at seeking investments from Japanese industry to this end. Earlier this year, India's military spending was hiked to touch $19.8 billion. Its navy is planning to build an aircraft carrier and is working on a nuclear reactor for a submarine project.

Both countries are watching each other carefully. Given their history of suspicion and animosity following the border war of 1962, this is only understandable, particularly when the fact that they are large-sized, nuclear-capable neighbours is taken into account.

At the same time it is precisely because both are emergent powers, spreading their wings in overlapping regions, that China and India find themselves speaking a common diplomatic language. Their smaller neighbours may express a certain nervousness over India and China's military expansion but for Beijing and New Delhi it is difficult to point fingers at each other when they are in fact both engaged in similar exercises.

As a result both powers stress that their foreign policy is based on the five principles of Panchsheel and are developing a diplomacy that seeks to stress friendly intent.

Beijing has certainly rolled out the red carpet for Mr. Mukherjee. He was given a rousing military welcome at the Central Military Commission headquarters on Monday, with representatives of the Chinese armed forces marching past him in flashes of khaki, white, and blue.

In a display of good faith, Mr. Mukherjee is also being taken to visit several sensitive military sites, including the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Centre and a naval base in Shanghai. He will also be the first Defence Minister from any country to visit the strategic Lanzhou Military Command Region in Gansu province.

For India, developing a strong, strategic bilateral relationship with China, even as it furthers its partnerships with the U.S. and Japan, is a task requiring diplomatic dexterity and long-term vision. The positive reception that Mr. Mukherjee's visit has received in China is a hopeful sign that given time this is a task that India may be up to.

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