Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests
5) India’s reluctance to admit China into the SAARC serves no better purpose. Examine. (250 words)
Why this question
The article highlights the scope and need of India-China cooperation in various fields, including the advantages of admitting China as a SAARC member.
Directive word
Examine- here we have to probe deeper into the topic, get into details, and find out the causes or implications if any.
Key demand of the question.
The question wants us to bring out the reasons as to why refusal of India to admit China as a member of SAARC is working against India’s own interests.
Structure of the answer
Introduction– write a few introductory lines about the SAARC- its members and position of China as an observer state.
Body-
Discuss why preventing China from SAARC membership is working against India’s interests. E.g
- The US-China trade war and frequent meetings between the leaders of India and China post-Doklam standoff worked towards setting up a hotline between India-China military headquarters to strengthen communication and build trust and mutual understanding to make their military maneuvers and movements more predictable.
- Currently, as an observer, China cannot initiate any proposal nor can it participate in discussions and deliberations within the forum. New Delhi must reconsider its strategy, as China’s inclusion as a dialogue partner will not grant it a veto but rather increase the likelihood of bringing in Chinese economic and political capital to strengthen the SAARC.
- As the SAARC is mostly dysfunctional, having only paltry and symbolic successes to its credit, Chinese inclusion as a dialogue partner needs to be mulled over.
- Further, the inclusion of China as a dialogue partner in the SAARC framework would provide a forum to discuss concerns related to Beijing-led regional infrastructure development and connectivity projects and address several issues related to terms and conditions of loans, benefits for the local economy and sovereignty concerns of countries in the region etc.
Conclusion- based on your discussion, form a fair and a balanced conclusion on the given issue.
