Role of Rapid Economic Growth in Resolution of Social and Political Tensions Between China and India - Essay Example

? Does rapid economic growth offer a new source of social and political tensions or does it resolve the existing tensions? Discuss this in relation to China and India Contents Contents 2 Introduction 3 Rhetorical question 3 Arguments and facts 4 Conclusion 10 References 11 Introduction The twenty-first century saw the rise of economic superpowers in the names of China and India that is likely to influence the social, cultural and political relations not only between the two countries but also beyond Asia in the international platform. The developing economies, i.e. China and India have not only emerged as economic superpowers but have also displayed potential of influencing the social and political relations between them. Historically, the countries have enough linkages in the social and cultural domain and hence, the rapid economic growth of the two countries largely impacted the social and political tensions between the two countries. The rapid growth of economy of China has seen the country to dominate the Asian economy and take on the US to challenge its economic dominance. This has resulted in the growth of China and attained a commanding position in the Sino-Indian relationships. India on the other hand has made rapid progress to develop as a regional economic superpower in Asia and has been looking to expand its strategic relationship with the East in order to be able to influence the social and political tensions with China. The rhetorical section will address the political as well as social frameworks between the two countries under consideration. The arguments section will replicate the political and social tensions between each country and will analyse the political structure of the countries one by one. Rhetorical question The rise of China and India and its growth as the regional economic superpowers have raised the question whether and in what ways it has impacted the social and political tensions between the two countries. This question is important as it highlights the differences in the model adopted by both the countries that have led to differences in economic growth and have therefore, influenced the social and political tensions between the two countries. This question is rhetorical in addressing the developments in the social and the political framework in China and India that has contributed by the rate of growth of economy. The existing social and political tensions have been addressed in cases where both China and India have shared the same level of interest in their economic relations (Mitter, 2008, p. 56). In cases where the two countries have differed in their social and political objectives which could be funded by their economic growths, the tension in the political and social sphere between China and India has aggravated. The two countries India and China have close cultural, social and political linkages for long time in the history. The review of the political and the social tensions between China and India have come at a time when these two countries have started to undergo a period of socio-economic transformation and have been eager to modify their political linkages in the best interest of their economic progress. Arguments and facts In this piece of work, I would argue rationally that the rapid economic growth rates of China and India have offered a new source of political and social tension and have also been able to address the existing tensions in the social and political relationship domain between the two countries. In order to understand the underlying reasons of the impacts of relative economic growth of China and India on the social and political tensions between the two countries, a review of the political and socio-economic structural differences between these two countries need to be explained as follows. India is the largest multi-party democracy which has pulled the demands of democracy and has been able to achieve modest growth in its economy. China on the other hand is the largest single party ruled economy. Due to the existence of a single party ruling the government, China has been effective in the use of its resources for achieving rapid economic growth. One of the major factors behind the rapid economic growth rates of China in comparison to India has been the total factor productivity of the country. The differences in the economic growth rates between China and India have redefined the social and political relationship and the need for resolving the social and political tensions between the two countries (Khilnani, 2003, p.37). The social and political relations between China and India and the underlying social and political tensions could be explained with the help of theoretical framework of international relations. A study of the theory of international relations of Functionalism explain the fact as a result of the economic rise of the two countries, China and India have been fighting for dominance while maintaining political relations between them and this has also taken form of militarization between these two countries. China has funded their military structure with the help of rapid economic growth and India continued to be one of the major importers of military technology. This school of thought in the international relations between China and India aggravate the political and social tensions between India and China (Said, 1978, p.87). The Functionalism theory also mentions the aspect of sustaining peaceful trade ties and bilateral co-operation in trade and commerce between the countries. This has led to the resolution of existing political and social unrest between China and India in the areas where the two countries have exhibited similar areas of interest. The deep introspection of the relations between China and India with the support of the Functionalism theory provides an understanding of the causes that has led to the resolution of political and social tension between the two countries to a certain extent. Both China and India which formed their state governments in the middle of the twentieth century were driven by their nationalist sentiments and were willing to restore their territorial border with no compromise on the border issues. The Indian society was highly enthusiastic after their independence from the British colonialism and the Indian governments believed in peaceful existence across the international boundaries under Jawaharlal Nehru. On the other hand, the Communist Party in China under the rule of Mao Zedong believed in expansion of communism and viewed the Congress party in New Delhi as the successors of the British. The Mac Mohan Line which separated Tibet from India by the intervention of the British was the point of contention in the Sino-India War of 1962. Tibet which was an autonomous region was considered by the Chinese to be an integral part of China and the Chinese military forces occupied the region without any information to India (Athwal, 2007, p. 95). The political tensions that developed due to this activity of intrusion resulted in the war of 1962 between China and India that, however, resulted in the defeat of India. This was the start of the political tensions between China and India after which India increased their military presence in the Sino-Indian border. Over the period of time, both the countries have made rapid economic progress and have developed nuclear weapons in their custody. The cost of research and development, nuclear research was funded by both China and India with their economic reserves that have been built due to their economic growth and rise to a dominant position in the Asia region as well as in the international platform. The rapid economic growth rates of China and India have been a source to a new set of political and social tensions as both the countries had sufficient funds in their treasury to establish their economic dominance in the Asian region and also influence the relationships with the other neighbours. China and India have supported or have received support from the neighbours or the other economies in order to influence the relationships in international politics. China has mostly developed strong relations with the neighbours of India that do not have friendly ties with them (Acharya, 2006, p.495). China has assisted the western frontier neighbour of India, i.e. Pakistan to become power in the region of Kashmir. This has been done by China by supporting Pakistan to develop its road and construct power plants in the Indo-Pak border region. All these supports have been possible for China as they were able to achieve rapid economic growth rates and establish independence in the international economy which led them to influence the international relations with India (Young, 2001, p.45). The argument that the rapid rate of economic growth of China and India has led to the developments and complications of political tensions could be substantiated by the activities of the two countries with respect to Myanmar. Myanmar has always been a region of contention for both China and India and the activities of the two countries in Myanmar in influencing their political structure and military and energy co-operation has been largely possible due to the economic rise of China and India. China has invested in Myanmar in order to get a strong hold on the region in comparison to India by funding their military expenditures, selling weapons and natural gas to Myanmar. After that, India has also extended its co-operation with Myanmar by signing bilateral agreements in the various areas of co-operation like the improvements in the border areas, aviation and cultural exchange. The areas of co-operation also include extension of line of credit of $500 m by the Export-Import Bank of India with the foreign trade bank of Myanmar. The economic growth of India has also allowed them to spend on constructing highway linkages with Myanmar. The international investments of China and India have led them to acquire control relative control in the international relations with greater influence on their neighbours (Frankel and Harding, 2004, p.63). The strategic engagement into various areas of co-operation with the neighbours that do not have friendly ties with their counterparts have led to the development of social and political tensions in the area of international relations involving China and India. Supported by the rapid economic growth rates, China has increased its naval presence in the Indian Ocean. To counter balance the rising naval control by the Chinese ships, India also focused on increasing their naval presence in the Indian Ocean and also partnered Iran in the development of sea trade. Thus the rise of economic growth of China and India has increased the political tensions between the two countries as they both have embarked on the process of attaining a higher control over the international events and subsequently enter into co-operation with other neighbours in order to increase their relative dominance with respect to each other (Chengappa, 2004, p.160). With the rise of naval presence and the increase in co-operation in various sectors with the neighbours are sufficient to fuel the political and social tensions between China and India that could lead to Sin-Indian war. The rapid economic growth of China and India has led to socioeconomic transformation of the two nations with the rise of the middle classes. The social trends in the two countries have changed with the increase in demand of the population which has constantly met in the age of economic liberalization through the encouragement of foreign direct investments and the growth of the supply in the economy. These expectation and demands of the society are the social tensions that have developed in relation to China and India due to their rapid economic growth rates. The social tensions that have prevailed and increased from the existing social relations between the two countries have also influenced the business classes and the corporate houses (Sidhu and Yuan, 2003, p.42). In the age of globalization when foreign direct investments have flourished across the borders, there have been reservations in the investments and business exchange between China and India. The United States and the European nations have also weighed China’s economic progress and its challenge to the developed economies of the world. This has led to the extension of support from the US and the European countries towards India to become a counter balancing force in the economic scenario of the Asian region. The other economies could take heart from the fact that the Asian economy has not been ruled by any single dominant force in the recent past. India and China both having rapid potential but different cycles of economic growth driven by their respective societies with difference in the average age of working population have realized the importance of co-operation and pacify their underlying social political tensions for the development of Asian economy at their own best interest for sustenance (Kamath, 2011, p.76). The rising middle class and educated sections of the society of both China and India have expressed their intentions of taking advantage of the economic co-operation between the two countries in order to be able to use high quality of products and services at competitive rates. The intentions of the societies in these countries to lead a better style of livelihood and avoid the adverse effects of war and politics have reduced the existing political and social tensions in comparison to the existing scenario. The policymakers of China and India have realized during their phase of rapid economic growth that by curbing the social and political tensions between the two countries, their citizens would be able to leave a peaceful life and enjoy the benefits of economic growth (Chaturvedi, 1991, p.79). China has recognized Sikkim as part of India in 2004 which led to the opening of Nathula Pass and in July, 2006 which was closed since 1962. The opening of the pass led to the resumption of bilateral trade as a result of which items like the woollen goods, DVD could be exchanges between the two countries. Both China and India has, however, put restriction on the items to be imported and exported between the two countries as a strategic step towards bilateral trade (Kapur, 2010, p.53). The Indian government has allowed the import of Chinese items like yak products, silk and goats, etc. The Chinese government has also allowed imports of Indian items like the tea, blankets, spices, etc. Conclusion It can be argued at the end that the contributions of the economic dominance over the neighbours have played a significant part in rising complications in the political relations between the countries. The growth of bilateral trade ties has also been able to reduce some of the existing social and political tensions between the two countries. It could be established that the acceptance level has however, varied in the domestic markets of India and China for the products imported from their counterparts. This has been largely due to the difference in the technological advancements and their abilities to produce world class products supported by their economic growth. The Indian products are also looking to improve their qualities with respect to the world class benchmark level by reducing the barriers of technology transfers and investments. Although both China and India have attained rapid economic growth in a short span of time, their growth rates have differed due to the difference in models adopted for their respective growth. All these are developments due to changes in the political and social relationships between China and India with a view to sustain their economic growth. After the rapid growth of economy of the two countries, the society of both China and India have developed an increasing nationalist sentiment due to which the expectations from the government and the social demands from the economic policies are even higher. The social tension between the two countries has nationalist objectives of establishing their economic dominance over the other. The relative difference between the economic growths of China and India has resulted in differences of controlling power to address the social and political relationships between the countries. The next section will be followed by the rhetorical question and arguments and facts. Summary It is not a hidden secret that the twenty first century witnessed the rise of some of the developing countries and India and China showed the way. The transformation in their socio economic culture contributed to economic growth and somehow diluted the political tensions between existing between them for years. The mutual interest of the countries contributed to the cause. The above analysis will show the differences between the countries on the ground of political and socio economic scenario. The political and social relations have been analysed with the help of the functionalism theory of international relations. It showed how the rise of mutual interest contributed to the cause of diluting the political and social tensions. The peaceful trade ties and bilateral co-operation acted as the catalyst. The arguments and facts in the paper act as the witness of how economic growth played its role in offering a resolution to the political and social tensions. References Young, R. 2001. Postcolonialism: A Historical Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell. Mitter, R. 2008. Modern China: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Khilnani, S. 2003. The Idea of India. London: Penguin. Said, E. 1978. Orientalism. London: Penguin. Acharya, A. 2006. A Partnership of Global Significance. Economic and Political Weekly. 41(1): 4934–4936. Athwal, A. 2007. China-India Relations: Contemporary Dynamics. New York: Routledge. Frankel, F. R. and Harding, H. 2004. The India-China Relationship: What the United States Needs to Know. Columbia: Columbia University Press. Sidhu, W. P. S. and Yuan, J. D. 2003. China and India: Cooperation Or Conflict?. New York: Lynne Rienner Publishers. Kamath, P. M. 2011. India-China Relations: An Agenda for the Asian Century. New Delhi: Gyan Publishing House. Kapur, A. 2010. India and the South Asian Strategic Triangle. London: Taylor & Francis. Chaturvedi, G. 1991. India-China relations: 1947 to present day. Michigan: the University of Michigan. Chengappa, B. M. 2004. India-China relations: post conflict phase to post cold war period. Michigan: A.P.H. Pub. Corp. Read More