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            CHINESE REGIONAL AND GLOBAL THINKING
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By S. K. Singh

In   1933,   14  years   before  becoming  Prime  Minister,
Jawaqharlal   Nehru,  visited  China.  He  said  then  that
conditions  in  China bore  many  resemblances to  those in
India,  but there are many differences too. Also, China has
survived  many a mighty invasion  and threat and the future
of old cultures and large societies should always be viewed
with optimism.

China  and India do not resemble  each other in one aspect.
While  India continues  to love  with every  century of its
history  surrounding it,  the Chinese  are not hemmed in by
their pervious ares in jumbled confusion.

While  we were in China  recently,  their political leaders
and  foreign policy analysts were  curious and amused about
India's recent political crisis, our theater of the absurd.
Also concerned about its impact on regional stability. When
reminded  of  the  similarity  of  responses  to  coalition
politics,   from the Indian Congress party the LDP of Japan
and the Christian Democrats of Italy,  two other ageing and
old  parties,  they became thoughtful.   In all these three
democracies,.   productivity has  not been  affected by the
uncertainties   of  coalition  management;  also,  peaceful
decision-making  has  continued  through  the  ballot  box.

The  Chinese believe  in Deng Xiaoping's  thesis that peace
and  development  go  together.  Deng  felt  that  for  the
present,   say for another 60 or 70 years,  the U.S.  would
remain the predominant global power, though it is already a
declining  one.   He wanted  his  successors to  handle the
situation with patience and foresight. But he was averse to
China  buckling  under pressure  from the  sole superpower.

The  Chinese  are sensitive  to  India's attitude  to their
nuclear  and missile capabilities.   This inevitably,  they
feel,  affects India's nuclear and missile policies.  Since
1947,   India has been capable  of using nuclear technology
for self-defence.  We reminded them that India had remained
steadfast  its commitment to the concept of a world without
nuclear  weapons.  But  India  cannot  ignore  the  nuclear
weapons  available with  its neighbours,   including China.
India  cannot,   therefore,  commit  itself to  the nuclear
Non-Proliferation  Treaty  or  the  Comprehensive  Test Ben
treaty.   The India  people shall  not deny  themselves the
science  and technology of the atom and space,  acquired by
them  for  themselves.   It is  purposeless  to  disarm the
unarmed.

Proudly,   perhaps prematurely,  many  Chinese believe that
they  have licked the problem of population growth in their
country.   They believe  that India's  population is rising
steeply.   Tongue-in-cheek,  the Chinese  friends said that
early  next  century India  would  become the  world's most
populous nation,  with China trailing behind.  One wonders.

They  did  not  comment  when  reminded  of  their  nuclear
collaboration  with Pakistan  or their  supply of missiles.
For  several years,  China has been assisting in beefing up
Pakistan's   nuclear  and  missile  capabilities.   It  has
provided advice, designs and equipment. American
intelligence sources and other international observers have
underlined,   in recent months,  the fact that Pakistan has
received from China the technology for its Hatf-III (or the
Chinese M-11) missile and production facilities.  Even more
significant  has been the  U.S.  unwillingness to embarrass
China and/or Pakistan in this matter. The U.S. laws on this
subject   are  being   ignored  and   flouted  through  the
simplistic  device  of  the  U.S.   refusing  to  make  any
determination. This has simplified the life for the Chinese
who  get  away with  merely  issuing vague,   ambiguous and
non-binding denials.  The Pakistanis are delighted,  for in
the midst of all this,  the U.S.  Senate,  with the Clinton
administration's  backing,  has reopened all aid,  military
and  economic,  further underlining  that this reopening of
aid would be "unconditional."

The Chinese were uncomfortable also about the help they are
providing   to  Myanmar   in  port   facilities  and  naval
functioning  close to Indian waters. However, they back the
SLORC  Government as they consider the Myanmar military the
only  institution  capable  of  guaranteeing  stability and
order  in  the country.   Several of  their decision-makers
suggested  that Ms.  Aung San Suu Kyi had little experience
of administering the institutions or a nation.

The  Chinese are  keen on strengthening  their border trade
and  economic cooperation  and trade,   including roads and
rail  networks, across Asian lands; and hope that India too
will  cooperate in  taking these  through and  across India

China  is  now anxious  about Islam  getting mixed  up with
local fanaticism,  politics and militancy.  This is what is
hurting Sinkiang now.  Recent developments in Sinkiang have
affected  the Chinese  perception of  fundamentalist Islam.
They  are worried about Islamic militants being shoved into
non-Islamic  lands.   They  are also  mildly  worried about
aspects   of  what   the  Taliban   is  doing   with  open,
occasionally  clandestine,   backing  from  the  U.S.   and
Pakistan.

Their own future prosperity and influence in the world,
they feel, can be assured by building a broader amity,
peace and cooperation with ASEAN, APEC, South Asia, the
Central Asian region, and Indochina States.

Their  thinking  about  the  Russian  Federation  has  been
evolving.    They  see  the   possibility  of  a  strategic
partnership  with  Russia.   This  was  recently  discussed
between  the Chinese  President,  Mr.  Jiang  Zemin and the
Russian  President, Mr. Boris Yeltsin, in Moscow. They seem
to  be wondering how the  international community will view
it,  in case Asia's three large land masses-- China, Russia
and  India--came closer politically.  How  will the rest of
Asia  and  the world  respond to  these three  rather large
states  coming  together?   one  heard  little  mention  of
ideology  in  China.  There  was  emphasis on  the nation's
strength  and  success;   reflecting  strong  nationalistic
urges.   Mr.  Jiang  is more  and more  referred to  as the
supreme  leader of the Chinese people. Mao, several Chinese
told me, gave China self- regard. Deng helped them discover
and improve themselves.

My   interaction   with  officials,    policy-planners  and
analysts,    individuals  and  groups  of  researchers  and
decision-makers  in each place showed that the Chinese have
understood  the need to study the complexities of the world
around them.

They   have  been   building  autonomous   and  independent
academies and institutions,  university departments,  study
groups,  and think-tasks, capable of  coping, in a holistic
manner,  with the complex issues of today and tomorrow,  to
encompass   not  only   political  developments   but  also
economics, trade, defence and security, strategy,
technology, environment, human rights aspects and
international  law.  Their effort is to study these aspects
along with the current national. regional and international
events and developments.

They   study  the  regions  around  them,   especially  the
Asia-Pacific, the Pacific Rim, South East Asia, South Asia,
Indochina  countries,  Australasia,  Central  Asia and West
Asia  and Africa.  They are paying attention to a number of
sub-specializations. Unfortunately, most of their
publications  and research papers are put of our reach,  as
they are available only in the Chinese language. It is time
for  Indians  both in  government,  industry,   banking and
business to appreciate that China has already undertaken to
build   a   large  network   of  research   and  think-tank
institutions,  which are able to pursue excellence in their
fields,  in collection of  data, their analysis, discussion
and   dissemination  in   the  academic-intellectual-policy
making  aspects.  In all fairness,  as Indians,  we need to
confess that there is a paucity,  in this country,  of such
institutions.   Even  in  respect of  those  that  have got
structured, over the years, somewhat absent-mindedly, there
is  a constant lack, often denial, of resources.(The writer
is a former Foreign Secretary.)

                                   The Hindu 30, July 1997.
    News and Information Bureau, All Burma Students League

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