Hindi-Chini bye-bye

The growth-centric regime in Delhi has a lot to learn from China. Because China is at the peak of its power and influence. And India is much too far behind 

Mohan Guruswamy Beijing

Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram sounded a little noted warning a few days ago, but in Beijing the ticker strip on television played it so frequently that you couldn't help but notice. Chidambaram warned that the “gap between India and China is growing.” Well, it's no ordinary gap. China's per capita income is now almost $2,400 and is nearly thrice that of India. GDP projections indicate that this gap is now set to widen even more and it will be at least a decade before that gap narrows a bit. And it won't be till we are halfway past this century before that gap closes.

It will be worth our while to remember that when India and China went to war in 1962 China's per capita income was less than half of India's! At that time it was believed that Chinese and Indian military power were asymmetrical. The asymmetry is now total. China is at the peak of its power and influence. We are left well behind. Truly, as of now, it's Hindi-Chini bye-bye.

Given this reality, Comrade Prakash Karat should not worry too much about China being encircled, but could afford some thought to our present predicament. The popular mood in that country is buoyant and there is an air of assertive confidence sweeping over it. We have seen that mood making its presence felt in the counter protests to the Tibetan protests, not only in the Tibetan regions of China but all over the world where the Olympic flame went. Nevertheless, China's triumphant aswamedha yagna was frequently challenged and it is with some glee that its internal dissensions were spotlighted by the dominant western media. The Chinese hierarchy has not taken this too kindly and the indignation has flowed down to the streets not just in China but all over the world, wherever the Chinese live in some numbers.