Sonrise at Great Wall

By taking Rahul Gandhi with her, Sonia Gandhi is trying to tell Beijing that the Nehru-Gandhi family's relevance in Indian politics would remain long after the UPA coalition has gone from the scene

Pranay Sharma, Hardnews Delhi

In 1988, Sonia Gandhi willingly played second-fiddle to husband Rajiv Gandhi when he came to Beijing to melt the ice that had come to settle in India's relations with China. To many it was a ‘historic visit’ as the thaw it brought helped the two countries to scale down tensions along their border to a significant level and re-start the process of normalising bilateral ties. After nearly two decades, Sonia Gandhi has taken the initiative to transform relations between the two big Asian neighbours yet again. And, this time, she has taken her son Rahul Gandhi to do so.

Much has changed in Sino-Indian relations in the past decades. At one level, relations have improved considerably. A series of senior politicians of the two countries have visited each other's country, bilateral trade has shot up to over $20 billion, and the two sides have also entered into a strategic partnership. But at another level, nothing much has changed. India and China continue to regard each other with suspicion and there is a serious ‘trust-deficit’ that plagues their bilateral ties.

China's ‘string of pearls’ strategy to develop a series of sea ports in and around India and its robust relations with Pakistan, particularly at the political and military level, are seen as an attempt to encircle India. India's growing relations with the US and its decision to be a willing partner in military and naval exercises with the Americans and their allies in Asia, have raised major concerns in Beijing. The Chinese leadership fears that it is India which is an active participant in the American strategy to encircle China.

Sonia Gandhi is in China at a time when the Left parties in India are resisting the proposed Indo-US civilian nuclear deal as they fear it would bring India firmly within the American strategic orbit in Asia and seriously affect New Delhi's sovereign foreign policy. As chairperson
of the ruling UPA coalition, her presence in China shows India is not willing to give up its independent foreign policy and it would continue to build strong ties with all the key world powers. Her visit is taking place around the same time that Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee is meeting his Chinese and Russia counterparts in China to strengthen the trilateral relations between the three countries. This clearly shows that India is not giving up on its friendship with other key players because of its current bonhomie with the US.

During her interaction with the Chinese leaders, that includes those in the current dispensation as well as the new crop of leaders chosen at the recent Communist Party of China (CPC) Congress, Sonia Gandhi’s attempt would be to clear the air and assure Beijing that New Delhi is committed to building strong ties with China. But this can take shape only after
the two sides are willing to create the right atmosphere where they can talk not only of areas of interest, but also of mutual concern.

Questions have been raised whether she did the right thing by going to China at a time when the Left parties are so vehemently registering their protest against the nuclear deal. However, it would be wrong to see her visit and attempt to build strong ties with China only through the narrow prism of the Left parties and the current controversy. India's relation with China is important and it goes far beyond the current political debate in the country.

Sonia Gandhi is neither the prime minister nor the president of India. Yet, her political significance in the UPA government is well-known in both the countries. By taking Rahul Gandhi with her, who is not only her son but also one of the general secretaries of the Congress and the future face of the party, she is trying to create a strong and lasting relationship with the Chinese leadership. She is trying to tell Beijing that the Nehru-Gandhi family's relevance in Indian politics would remain long after the UPA coalition has gone from the scene.