Opinion: What China Really Thinks Of India's 'Neutrality'

While the Cold War between the US and the former Soviet Union ended in 1991, a reading of how powerful states of the time behaved continues to dictate foreign policy thinking, even in the current epoch of international relations. India and China, both newly independent states in the post-World War II era, lacking adequate economic and political standing in international politics in the 1950s and 1960s, emerged as important voices. India's non-aligned policies, which focused on neutrality between the two power blocs, gained a lot of traction and was seen as an important tool to shield national interests from Cold War dynamics.

China, which was officially "leaning to one side", or to the side of communism led by the USSR, also emerged as an important voice in international politics, as it joined the Korean War in 1950 against the so-called onslaught of capitalist and imperialist forces. At the Bandung conference of Asian-African countries in 1955, where the idea of non-alignment took deeper roots, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai's speech was highly appreciated, as he spoke of "seeking common grounds", and "not seeking divergences". Seemingly, India's and China's stands looked alike. A closer reading, however, reveals many differences.

It is worth discussing questions around neutrality as a foreign policy choice in 2023, given that both India and China, once again, have largely chosen diplomatically neutral stances at the UN in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The fallout of the Russia-Ukraine war continues to be discussed at various regional and multilateral forums, and the most recent instance of these discussions was the virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) hosted by India. While Russia spoke of the need for a "truly just and multipolar world", China spoke about the need for members to "protect and promote their security and development interests". India spoke about the need to deepen cooperation for sustainable socio-economic development and to improve the well-being and living standards of the people in the SCO region. India also criticised the international scourge of terrorism. What also stands out is the fact that India refused to sign the SCO's economic development strategy for 2030 due to objections over retaining language that echoed Chinese official policies. In essence, India did not sign onto China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which is violative of India's sovereignty, among other things.