Sino-Indian Relation Is Underway

Positive Sino-Indian Relation is Underway

By Anita Tang December 27, 2018

China’s 1.417 billion and India’s 1.361 billion population make up 60.87% of the 51 countries-and-regions-strong 4.564 billion Asian population.

Since China’s reform and opening up 40 years ago, the country has grown to become the world’s second largest economy. India is emerging quickly onto the world stage – it is a vigorous growing power in terms of economic strength, population boom, and soft power expansion.

Close Sino-Indian bilateral ties can be beneficial to the region and the world, and a step closer to realizing an Asian Century.

This white paper takes stock of the improving Sino-Indian relations and takes notice of commercial areas where the two countries can work closely together to create even bigger impacts.

Improving Top-level Ties

The numerous top-level meetings in 2018 between Chinese and Indian officials indicate that Sino-Indian relations are back on track after 2017’s tense 73-day-long border standoff in Doklam/Donglang.

President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met four times in 2018: on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Argentina in December and the BRICS summit in Johannesburg in July, on the margins of the regional Shanghai Cooperation Organization meet in Qingdao, China, in June, and a series of one-on-one informal interactions at the Wuhan Summit in China in April.

At the December G-20 summit, President Xi and Prime Minister Modi discussed joint efforts to further enhance mutual trust and friendship between the two neighbors.

Prime Minister Modi indicated after his meeting with President Xi at the G-20 summit1: “Today’s meeting will be important in providing a direction in terms of strengthening our relations.”

He later tweeted: “Had a wonderful meeting with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Argentina. The talks revolved around a wide range of bilateral and global subjects. Our regular interactions have added significant strength to India-China ties."

In the meeting, President Xi referred to enhanced imports of rice and sugar from India. He also expressed the hope that India would import more agricultural products from China. The president also indicated greater trade between the two nations in the pharmaceutical sector.

Closer Military Exchange

Also mentioned at the G-20 summit in Argentina by the two leaders was that they welcomed the visit of the Chinese defense minister, of the holding of the counter-terrorism military exercise the week after, and the recently concluded special representative talks.

1 “Perceptible improvement in India-China relations, say Modi and Xi on G20 sidelines,” India Today, December 1, 2018, https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/perceptible-improvement-in-india-china-relations-say-modi-and-xi- on-g20-sidelines-1400086-2018-12-01

India’s Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale indicated that following the Wuhan summit in April, “both leaders (said) that there had been a positive improvement in border management along the India-China border areas.”

Just 18 months ago, the nations’ militaries were eyeing one another across contested territory near Bhutan, but relationship improved a great deal this year; on December 22, the two nations concluded a 12-day joint anti-terrorism training drill in Sichuan, China.

Code-named “Hand-in-Hand 2018,” the joint training has been the seventh joint anti- terrorism training between the Chinese and Indian armed forces since 2007. The last exercise of this 2018 drill was a joint operation in the setting of an urban neighborhood and included a hostage rescue.

China’s Xinhua Agency quoted a comment by Major General Li Shizhong, a senior representative of the Chinese People's Liberation Army: “The joint training has not only upgraded combat capabilities but also enhanced mutual understanding and friendship CC0 license. Source: pixabay.com between Chinese and Indian officers and soldiers.”2

India Expanding its Soft Power

Bollywood

When talking about Bollywood, I immediately associate it with youthfulness, energy, music, singing and dancing.

Bollywood is the Indian Hindi-language film industry based in the city of Mumbai, India. In fact, most of the films produced in India are in Hindi or English – English to ensure that they have export markets. In 2017, India was the largest producer of films in terms of quantity.3

2 “China, India conclude joint anti-terrorism drill,” Xinhua, December 24, 2018, http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1133324.shtml 3 “Largest Film Industries in the World,” Worldatlas, https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/largest-film-industries- in-the-world.html, “Bollywood,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood

Perhaps the biggest influence of Bollywood has been on nationalism in India itself; along with the rest of Indian cinema, it has become part and parcel of the “Indian story.” In the words of the economist and Bollywood biographer, Lord Meghnad Desai: “In India, Bollywood is often associated with India's national identity.”4

When South Korea exported its entertainment industry overseas, including films, TV series, music and dance, it also led to a boom in its culture and fashion industry overseas. But such South Korea soft power is mostly exported to other Asian countries and regions. Bollywood, however, has been a prominent form of soft power for India to many parts of the world, increasing its influence overseas, as well as changing overseas perceptions of India.

Indian film director R. Balki told South China Morning Post in a December 2018 interview conducted in Beijing’s Forbidden City that Indian movies often pack a powerful emotional punch and appeal to Chinese audiences. “The culture of India and China is similar in a lot of ways,” he says. “The emotions of Indians and Chinese are similar. They connect with the Indian characters.”5

Bollywood cinema has been very successful in China. “Dangal,” premiered in China in April 2017, chalked up some RMB 1.3 billion in ticket sales. Just to name a few Indian films played in China in 2018 with their respective ticket sales to indicate their popularity there:

 “Secret Superstar,” January – over RMB 700 million (60% of the film’s global box office)

 “Bajrangi Bhaijann,” March – RMB 283 million

4 “Bollywood cinema: 10 lesser-known facts,” Lord Meghnad Desai, BBC News, May 5, 2013, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-22335309 5 “Why Indian films like Dangal and Toilet are so popular in China: similar problems,” Elaine Yau, South China Morning Post, December 11, 2018, https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2177193/why-indian-films- dangal-and-toilet-are-so-popular-china-similar

 “Hindi Medium,” April – RMB 208 million

Another film that came to mind is “Kung Fu Yoga.” Originally a Sino-Indian co- production, the film ended up a production by two Chinese studios as the Indian partner eventually pulled out. This Jackie Chan-starred film was released during the Spring Festival holidays in China in 2017, making it Jackie Chan’s highest-grossing film in China. It was also the highest-grossing comedy film in China until it was overtaken by “Never Say Die” (2017).6 However, the film failed to impress Indian moviegoers and critics. A February 6, 2017, Forbes article noted: “By common consent, its story is a mangled mess.”7

Anupama Chopra, an Indian film critic, rated the movie as 1 of out a scale of 5 (5 being the highest rating)8:

“This is the first movie made under the India-China co-production treaty. And I have to admit, it must have sounded good on paper. Take one of the biggest action stars in the world – Jackie Chan. Throw in some nubile Indian beauties and Indian locations, mix in a plot about lost treasure, add exactly two and a half lines about yoga, and you have a mashup that sells in two markets.

“It doesn’t quite work out that way.”

It appeared that Chinese and Indian moviegoers have very different tastes.

Yoga and Ayurveda

Noting that yoga was an ancient Indian tradition, and that the practice can unite mind and body, thought and action, people and nature, Indian Prime Minister Modi proposed the idea to the U.N. General Assembly in 2015 for an International Day of Yoga, and that year the United Nations declared June 21 the International Day of Yoga.

6 “Kung Fu Yoga,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Fu_Yoga 7 “Why Indian-Chinese Venture 'Kung Fu Yoga' Failed To Impress Bollywood,” Suparna Butt D’Cunha, Forbes, February 6, 2017, https://www.forbes.com/sites/suparnadutt/2017/02/06/why-indian-chinese-venture-kung-fu- yoga-failed-to-impress-bollywood/#27ab81883758 8 “A mangled mess: Kung Fu Yoga review by Anupama Chopra,” Hindustran Times, February 3, 2017, https://www.hindustantimes.com/movie-reviews/a-mangled-mess-kung-fu-yoga-review-by-anupama- chopra/story-FXMOy1y3diMYRANdnr8o1N.html

Marking the fourth International Day of Yoga, Prime Minister Modi led a yoga exercise on June 21, 2018, with some 50,000 people. It was estimated that people in more than 180 countries did the breathing and movement exercise on that day.

Independent noted in its June 21, 2018, report9:

“Estimated to have originated in India some 5,000 years ago, yoga has ballooned into a £60-billion lifestyle industry with teachers, followers and commercial enterprises linked to the discipline around the world.

“Prime Minister Modi has utilized yoga in promoting his vision of India as a predominantly Hindu nation.

“‘The gems of India’s unique heritage, such as yoga, will be respected by the world at large only when we ourselves respect our culture and traditions,’ Modi said.”

Following through with the successful branding of yoga around the world, as promoted by Prime Minister Modi: “In a world where non-communicable diseases, stress and lifestyle- related ailments are rising, yoga can play a central role in mitigating these diseases to create a healthy mind and body,” he introduced his next soft-power push in India’s traditional medicine system – Ayurveda.

As reported by South China Morning Post on December 2310, “From allocating funds to organizing summits and setting up research centers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration is throwing its support behind Ayurveda – India’s traditional medicine system dating back 5,000 years. Although considered pseudoscience by some within the medical community, Ayurveda is popularly used in India to address ailments ranging from diabetes to cancer. The system of medicine, meaning ‘knowledge or science of life’ in Sanskrit,

9 “International Day of Yoga: India's Narendra Modi leads 50,000 in dawn exercises,” Adam Withnall, Independent, June 21, 2018, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/international-day-yoga-2018-narendra-modi- india-dawn-exercises-a8410026.html 10 “After Yoga, Modi’s next soft power push is traditional medicine,” Vasudevan Sridharan, South China Morning Post, December 23, 2018, https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/2179048/after-yoga-modis-next-soft- power-push-traditional-medicine

The Ministry of AYUSH is created to support the growth of Ayurveda, yoga, Unani, Siddha and homeopathy. In 2017, the All India Institute for Ayurveda was inaugurated; it is currently treating between 1,600 and 2,000 patients every day.

According to a report by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and PwC, the global Ayurveda market is expected to grow to US$10 billion by 2022, driven by a health- conscious younger population and ageing citizenry.

Finding and Expanding Common Ground

The December 23 SCMP Editorial, titled “Soft power needed to further improve Sino- Indian ties,”11 pointed out that economic ties and grass-roots exchanges of people remain noticeably low despite the neighbors – China and India – having the world’s two biggest populations.

The article quoted that “there are marked disparities in numbers of tourists and university students – with Indians eager to go to China, but the reverse not being true.” More than 800,000 Indian tourists and 18,000 students went to China in 2017, but only 225,000 Chinese visitors and little more than 100 students to India.

Put aside government and military exchanges, there are different areas that the two peoples can work together to build trust and forge cooperation.

Finding common ground is a good start. Common ground will lead to people-to- people exchange; more Chinese people – visitors and students – would like to visit India.

Entertainment and Related Industries

As crystalized by film director R. Balki, and mentioned earlier in this white paper, “the culture of India and China is similar in a lot of ways,” and that “the emotions of Indians and Chinese are similar.” Learning from the success found by Bollywood movies in China – Chinese audiences, in Balki’s words, “connect with the Indian characters.” The reason why

11 “Soft power needed to further improve Sino-Indian ties,” SCMP Editorial, December 23, 2018, https://beta.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2179306/soft-power-needed-further-improve-sino- indian-ties?edition=international

“Kung Fu Yoga” failed to impress Indian audiences, on the other hand, was because they could not connect with the movie.

The success of Mainland China-Hong Kong-Taiwan co-produced films not only help such production expand to all these markets as a whole but also to the Chinese-speaking market worldwide, and, to some extent, as foreign-films in non-Chinese-speaking markets.

We can find good common ground for China and India in terms of culture and people’s emotion.

Sino-Indian film co-production, if done right, will instantly look at a combined population of 2.77 billion, and more in the world market.

Not only will the export of the entertainment industry facilitate the export of soft power, it will also help export their culture and commerce and gain influence.

Holistic Medicine

Holistic medicine's name comes from the Greek word halos, which means whole, and refers to a practice of medicine which treats the body, mind and spirit. Holistic medicine views illness or injury within the context of social, environmental, and personal circumstance. Rather than determining which genes are responsible, holistic medicine considers how individuals contribute to their health through individual beliefs and lifestyle choices. Treatment recommendations may include dietary changes, incorporating exercise, guided imagery or meditation exercises, and direct treatments with acupuncture, herbs, or massage.12

Research in Australia demonstrated that one of the reasons so many Australians seek out alternative and complementary medicine (CAM) is because of the holistic philosophy which guides their work.13

12 “Holistic Medicine Vs. Western Medicine,” Sophie Bloom, Livestrong.com, https://www.livestrong.com/article/104735-holistic-medicine-vs.-western-medicine 13 “Understanding Differences Between Holistic, Alternative, and Complementary Medicine,” Ilanna S. Mandel, Inquiries Journal, 2009, VOL. 1 No. 10|PG. 1/1, http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/9/understanding- differences-between-holistic-alternative-and-complementary-medicine

According to the Mayo Clinic, “What's considered an alternative therapy is a moving target.” However, it listed therapies classified by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)14:

 Natural products: Examples include dietary supplements and herbal remedies. These treatments use ingredients found in nature. Examples of herbs include ginseng, ginkgo and echinacea; examples of dietary supplements include selenium, glucosamine sulfate and SAMe. Herbs and supplements can be taken as teas, oils, syrups, powders, tablets or capsules.

 Mind and body practices: Mind-body techniques strengthen the communication between one’s mind and body. CAM practitioners say these two systems must be in harmony for a person to stay healthy. Examples of mind-body connection techniques include meditation, prayer, relaxation and art therapies. Manipulation and body-based practices use human touch to move or manipulate a specific part of the body. They include chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation and massage. Some CAM practitioners believe an invisible energy force flows through the body, and when this energy flow is blocked or unbalanced one can become sick. Different traditions call this energy by different names, such as chi, prana and life force. The goal of these therapies is to unblock or re-balance one’s energy force. Energy therapies include qi gong, healing touch and reiki.

 Other complementary health approaches: There are other approaches to complementary health that focus on a system, rather than just a single practice or remedy, such as massage. These systems center on a philosophy, such as the power of nature or the presence of energy in your body. Examples of these approaches include: Ancient healing systems, including Ayurveda from India and traditional Chinese medicine. Homeopathy which uses very small doses of a drug that causes symptoms to stimulate the body's self-healing response. Naturopathy which focuses on noninvasive treatments to help the body do its own healing and uses a variety of practices, such as massage, acupuncture, herbal remedies, exercise and lifestyle counseling.

14 “Consumer Health,” Mayo Clinic, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in- depth/alternative-medicine/art-20045267

In the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH)15, approximately 38 percent of adults in the U.S. reported using CAM in the previous 12 months. The CAM component of the NHIS, developed by the NCCIH and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), also collected data about CAM costs, including cost of CAM use, frequency of visits made to CAM practitioners, and frequency of purchases of self-care CAM therapies:

 83 million adults spent US$33.9 billion out-of-pocket on CAM

 CAM costs are 11.2% of total out-of-pocket expenditures on health care

A more recent survey conducted in the United States in January 2017, where U.S. adults were asked if they believed in positive effects of some sorts of complementary and alternative medicine, in total, 70 percent of respondents stated that they believed in positive effects from such medicines16.

In October 2017, the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health released a survey report on the “Use of complementary and alternative medicine in Europe.”17 During the last 12 months (of the survey), 25.9% of the study population had used CAM, which was around one-third of the proportion of those who had visited a general practitioner (76.3%). Almost half of the population had visited a medical specialist (44.6%), and 16.5% had used physiotherapy. Among those who had used CAM, 69.4% had used only one kind of CAM modality, and 19.9% had used two. Approximately 8% of CAM users had used CAM exclusively (alternative use), without any visits to biomedical professionals in the last 12 months. The rates of alternative use were highest for spiritual healing (14.9%) and acupressure (12.1%), and they were lowest for osteopathy (4.1%), homeopathy (5.6%) and acupuncture (6.3%).

Yoga and Ayurveda originated from India, tai chi and qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) originated from China; they share similar beliefs and a lot of common

15 “The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States: Cost Data,” NIH, 2007, https://nccih.nih.gov/news/camstats/costs/costdatafs.htm 16 “Percentage of U.S. adults believing in positive effects of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as of 2017,” Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/667420/us-adults-with-positive-view-on-complementary-and- alternative-medicine 17 “Use of complementary and alternative medicine in Europe: Health-related and sociodemographic determinants,” Laura M. Kemppainen, Teemu T. Kemppainen, Jutta A. Reippainen, el, Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, October 4, 2017, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1403494817733869

© 2018 Royal Roots Global Inc. All Rights Reserved. 10 ground. As Mayo Clinic puts it, “complementary medicine treatments undergo testing and move into the mainstream.” For China and India to together explore these avenues may lead to a new horizon in health and wellness, and create a new, alternative frontier to Western medicine. Not only is this an export of soft power to the world, but one offering health and wellness to the world.

Modern Agriculture

President Xi referred to enhanced imports of rice and sugar from India after the G-20 Argentina summit, he also expressed the hope that India would import more agricultural products from China.

Both China and India are among the world’s top three producers of important crops such as rice, wheat, cotton and maize, while China produces much more from each hectare of land than India does.

In his June 9. 2015, article, “What India can learn from Chinese agriculture,”18 Roshan Kishore cited:

“In the early 1960s, farm sector indicators of India and China looked similar, but since then China has left India behind. According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) data, the ratio of value of agricultural production (in constant 2004-06 international dollars) in China and India was 0.99 in 1960. By 1990, this ratio became 1.66 and 2.23 in 2010. The widening gap is due to faster growth of agriculture in China.

“It is worth noting that much of this growth has been achieved by improvement in yields and not increase in agricultural area.”

Food security has always been and will always be a part of national security for any countries. With growing population in both China and India amid scarce availability of arable land, demand for more and better-quality food as their economy boomed and people

18 “What India can learn from Chinese agriculture,” Roshan Kishore, livemint, June 9, 2015, https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/bORKeOM7iNCRvi4nNse8gO/What-India-can-learn-from-Chinese- agriculture.html

Modern agriculture is an evolving approach to agricultural innovations and farming practices that helps farmers increase efficiency and reduce the amount of natural resources – water, land, and energy – necessary to meet the world’s food, fuel, and fiber needs.

As modern agriculture is driven by continuous improvements in digital tools and data, and collaborations among farmers and researchers across the public and private sectors, the new technologies – blockchain, AI, IoT, big data – being developed recently can empower modern agriculture better than in the past.

The competitive and complementary technical skills in both countries, their increasing demand for agriculture products and services, their respective market size, and their availability of different natural resources and climate, all point to the same direction – their cooperation can make the sum of the parts greater than the whole.

Do You Agree?

This is what I think: cooperation between China and India – in any and all levels – will be good for the two countries, Asia as a region, and the world as a whole.

What are your thoughts?