“...and that’s the minute-30 mark!” Bodies quivering, adrenaline surging, and pressure building, I’d like to welcome you to a scene from my 8th grade year. Eye to eye with my biggest competitor at the time, we glared at each other with a look that meant we weren’t giving up any time soon. We competed for everything - we were both participating at every spelling bee, both finalizing at the speech contest, both sprinting the last lap of the mile to outrun each other; every time I wanted to get rid of her, she wanted to get rid of me. We were too similar and too competitive to let go. So, being the incredibly smart and mature 8th graders we were, we decided to settle it by means of a plank contest. The first 45 seconds were a piece of cake, but as time went on, our noodle arms began to feel the pressure, while the chants of 30 other students around us cheered either one of us on.
Though you might’ve missed our competition, you can see a live reenactment by reading the news - the two biggest competitors having a plank contest right now? China and India. Striving to be the best and outdo each other, China and India have both been feeling the animosity for years through countless conflicts. Cranking up the heat through disputes on Kashmir, Tibet, religion, visa applications, etc., I’ll touch upon the biggest two disagreements in recent history: Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership, and the verdict on the South China Sea.
Let’s begin with China’s blockade of India’s NSG membership bid in June. The NSG is essentially a group of currently 48 nuclear supplier countries that seek to prevent nuclear proliferation by meeting to discuss controls over exports of materials, equipment, and technology. After eight long years of lobbying for a seat at the NSG, India’s candidacy for membership was denied. A seat at the NSG is crucial for India because this exclusive group controls the global trade in nuclear technology, and the membership would have helped India assert itself as a legitimate nuclear state. Although countries with large influence like the U.S., U.K., France, and Russia backed India’s membership, opposition came from several countries, notably China, who was the most vocal opponent. The grounds for rejecting the application were based on the fact that India had yet to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty. China’s opposition, however, most likely originates from the fact that granting India a seat at the NSG would mean allowing a rival to be at par with them in this prestigious club. In an effort to rally support from the global community for their NSG Application, India’s Prime Minister went to visit China’s President in a strategic move to secure their affirmative vote. This, however, did not stop President Xi from reassuring his Pakistani counterpart Xi’s government would persist with criteria-based approach for the NSG membership even before the meeting took place.
Moving on to the South China Sea conflict: the disputes involve both island and maritime claims among several sovereign states within the region, namely Brunei, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam. Earlier this year, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) rejected China’s ownership claims to 80% of the of the South China Sea. This ruling was the first time that the basis of China’s “historical claims,” notably, the “nine-dash line,” was ruled to be invalid under international law. Occurring right after China’s successful blocking of India’s bid to gain entry into the NSG, India could not resist but rejoice after hearing the verdict, formulating a snarky and timely response: “India supports freedom of navigation and over-flight, and unimpeded commerce, based on the principles of international law, as reflected notably in the UNCLOS.” As was expected, an enraged China dismissed the PCA’s verdict, declaring it null and void. This response proved to be a sharp contrast with India’s mature acceptance of a similar arbitration with Bangladesh, with a verdict against India’s favor. On the eve of the verdict, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia called on China to follow India’s example by accepting the ruling of the PCA, adding fuel to the fire.
But back to my plank contest: toughing it out for as long as we could, my arch nemesis and I discovered a new respect for each other. Stopping only because the yard duty told us to and herded the cheering crowd elsewhere, both of us just looked at each other and smiled for not only pulling off a plank much longer than each of us had expected, but also because we realized how trivial our previous conflicts had been. From then on, we became really good friends, working together for group projects, spending lunches together, representing our school at our district’s board meeting, and even sitting next to each other at the “Valedictorian Row” at our graduation.
Ending tonight, the G20 Summit provides a chance for a similar and much needed reset for the Sino-Indian relationship, allowing them to set aside differences and focus on common goals like helping the poor, reducing the gap between developed and developing countries, and combating climate change, to name a few. Instead of waiting for a higher power to end the competition, it’s time for India and China to stop spending energy on new ways to antagonize the other, and redirect it to solving issues domestically as well as globally.
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