Experts at a conference in Kolkata discussed ties between India and China and how the two powerful Asian neighbours could work on finding ways to end their strained ties, find a modus vivendi, and mutually benefit from trade and investment.

“Conflict cannot be a stand-off affair for both nations. Both have too much to lose by it,” said Mohan Guruswamy, who heads the Centre for Policy Alternatives, New Delhi, an independent and privately funded think-tank at The Fifth Annual Calcutta Dialogue on “India-PR China Relations: The Way Forward”.

The conference - on  March 13 at the Lalit Great Eastern Hotel -  was jointly organised by the Research Centre for Eastern and North-Eastern Regional Studies, Kolkata, (CENERS-K), a geo-strategic think tank created by former Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Shankar Roychoudhury, and the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Kolkata.

“Peace and growing economic interdependence are more viable options,“ added Guruswamy, who is also a Distinguished Fellow at the United Service Institution of India, New Delhi and a Visiting Professor at the Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad.

Speaking at the conference, Gen Shankar Roychoudhuri (retd), a former Indian Army chief, said: “In all our deliberations of taking forward the India - China relationship, the Pakistan factor must not be lost sight of and must be factored in.”

Experts at the conference discussed geopolitical, bilateral, environmental, economic, trade and investment, educational, scientific, technological and People to People (P2P)/ business to business (B2B) relations as well as possible ways of conflict resolution between the two ancient allies and modern competitors.

Lt. Gen. J.R Mukherjee said, “there are both positives and negatives in our relationship with China and the solution is not an easy road to travel. It is complex and needs both sides to approach the problems with maturity.“

In the day-long conference, it was broadly recommended that the two countries should accelerate their dispute resolution processes, cooperate for the development in the international arena for a globally common issue such as climate change, environment and renewable energy, linking the Indian and China power grid at suitable points to augment Indian power availability at very competitive rates and focused engagement and intake of Chinese investment and technology in various sectors while ensuring the protection of Indian interests in the long term, according to a statement.

It also noted that augmenting educational exchange and P2P links through travel and tourism, Indian States-China Province linkages and twinning and other measures necessary to achieve optimal development of the agreed 10 pillars of cooperation.

Broadly the need was expressed for the central and state governments to devote more resources to the rapid development of the border areas, negotiate better market access for Indian goods and services to China and open more border trading points. At the regional level, more efforts need to be devoted to deepen and diversify links with the BBIN area, the statement said.

Other participants at the conference included Rajya Sabha MP Manish Gupta, former Ambassador to China, Ashok Kantha, eminent academics from North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Manipur University, Vishwa Bharati, Calcutta and Jadavpur Universities as well as members from think tanks like Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Centre for Studies in International Relations and Development (CSIRD), and representatives of MEA, armed services, chambers of commerce and business associations.

The Calcutta Dialogue is held in March every year in the culmination of a year of the study, research and analysis of evolving India-PR China relations during this period to formulate policy recommendations and propose actions by stakeholders to continuously improve, deepen and diversify the links and engagements with PR China at every level and field of human endeavour to improve the state of our peoples and the planet.

The purpose of the event was to evolve a view on the two countries relations from eastern and northeastern India, based on developments over the past year between the two countries.