Weighing in on business as usual with China
Recent media pieces have speculated on whether India’s fraught relations with China are headed towards a relative thaw and suggestions are being put forward for a more liberal attitude towards foreign direct investment (FDI) from that country. Such a policy prescription of doing away with restrictions on Chinese FDI involves a radical departure from the policy of linkage between the state of borders and the state of overall relations. Speaking in Geneva on September 12, India’s Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar remarked that about 75% of “disengagement problems” with China have been sorted out but the “bigger issue” has been the increasing militarisation of the border. Hours later, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval met Member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Politica...