Asia: Tense relations between India and China, two pillars of the BRICS group
The complex relationship between India and China, two pillars of the BRICS group, has seen a number of escalating tensions in recent years. While the G20 meeting in New Delhi was supposed to be an opportunity to ease these tensions, the announced absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping has highlighted the extent of the differences between these two giants.
An absence that will be noticed, given that this meeting is often honoured by the world’s powerful leaders. Apart from this announcement, another seems to be worrying the experts. India has just announced military manoeuvres close to its disputed border with China. These manoeuvres, which will take place over 11 days, have a delicate timing, coinciding with the G20 meeting in New Delhi.
Historically, friction between the two countries is nothing new. The clash on the Himalayan border in 2020, which resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers, only served to exacerbate an already tense situation.
Territorial claims, symbolised by the publication of a map by Beijing claiming Indian land, have soured relations, leading to a massive deployment of troops on both sides of the Line of Actual Control.
Despite being allies within the BRICS , India and China are not always on the same wavelength outside this framework. And the tensions are not just territorial. Economic relations between the two giants are also under pressure.
Icha KONATE
