How Can India Catch Up to China? The Importance of Social Investment

After twenty years of economic reform and liberalization, is India now on pace to close the development gap with China? To assess this prospect, I analyzed multi-decade trends across six dimensions of human capabilities crucial to both individual and national development: 1) economic, 2) health, 3) infrastructure, 4) knowledge and technology, 5) public administration and 6) gender equality. I also conducted a focused comparison of two industrial sectors: software services and equipment manufacturing. The evidence shows that India is starting to catch up in several sectors, but overall China currently has a significant lead on most economic and technological indicators. Whereas most scholars studying this divergence have focused on shifting economic policies as the key to convergence, I argue that lingering development gaps may primarily be a result of India’s lower levels of social investment. Thus, if India is to catch up and surpass China, it will not only need supportive economic policies but must also concentrate heavily on expanding and improving rural infrastructure, education, and especially gender equality.     

China＇s Rise and the International Pattern

Three basic elements stand out in the international pattern：global power distribution,the system of international norms,and the transnational value systems,all of which are of vital importance in the interaction between China＇s rise and the future international pattern.     

The Rise of China

Shared ideas wield a decisive influence on a country's external behavior. How China's rise will impact the world is determined by ideas shared by the international community. The identity and role of an emerging China is shaped not merely by its own material factors and subjective efforts. It is also constructed through China's interaction with other countries. The idea of a harmonious culture may eliminate international concerns about China's rise at the root, but this culture needs to be constructed by all the countries in the world.     

Analysis on the Rise of India

With the development of economic globalization and multi- polarization of the world, some developing countries have seized the opportunities and embarked on the road of rapid development by adopting strategies compatible with their national conditions thr…     

Global interactions of China and India: Divergent paths of trade?

This article explores the global positions of China and India in merchandise trade. It first compares the integration models of China and India and, thereafter, examines the core factors that drive their trading relationships. With respect to their global trading partners, there are considerable differences in the influence of economic drivers of trade for China and India. Combined larger markets, similar consumer preferences, similar factor endowments and linguistic links enhance global exports from China. Alternatively, smaller market size, discrepancy in consumer demands, dissimilar factor endowments and combined stocks of foreign direct investments drive India’s global trade. The findings suggest that differences in the structure and demand of China vis-a-vis India dictate the divergence in the profile of their trade determinants. Such divergence in trade drivers, however, dissipates when taking into account Chinese and Indian partnerships on a regional basis – with East Asia, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Latin America, European Union (EU), and Africa.     

Two Thoughts on International Pattern and China＇s Rise

The substantial change in the international system since the end of the World War Ⅱ has been a boon to non-Western nations,which make up three-quarters of all the countries today.Most nationalities,populations and countries that had little freedom and almost no voice have representation today in the United Nations and G20,and they benefit from more international investment.Enterprising BRICS countries hold a competitive position in manufacturing,infrastructure construction,and international trade.     

Global Reordering and China’s Rise: Adoption,Adaptation and Reform

Abstract

While much of the debate over the implications of China’s rise tends to dichotomise around either status quo or revisionist predictions, the reality seems to lie somewhere in between. In broad terms, China has embraced multilateral forms of cooperation and governance. This does not mean, however, that it is satisfied with the distribution of power in many international institutions, or some of the norms and principles that underpin them. This has resulted in a reformist position, with China increasingly willing to offer its own supplementary alternatives. China’s rise has also provided an important economic alternative to dealing with the West, and considerably undermined the ability of others to establish their preferences and world views. China’s lack of commitment to democracy and the external promotion of human rights remains a key reason why some analysts remain unconvinced about the long-term ambitions of an illiberal actor in a global liberal order.     

Land and Maritime Boundary Disputes＇ Challenges over China＇ s Rise

China’s land and maritime boundary disputes are residual,complicated and difficult to resolve.In order to keep up relations with its neighbors, China has produced its guideline on principal ownership,putting disputes to one side,and pursuing joint development.While this has been accepted     

The Rise of Middle Power and China＇ s New Focus in Diplomacy

The emergence of well-positioned middle powers is a profound impetus for change within the intemational arena of structure rearrangement, issues replacement, and values reconstruction. In particular, India, Brazil, Turkey and South Africa are middle powers that rose together during the global financial crisis to become a compelling force, each transitioning to active participant rather than follower.＇ As a result, Chinese diplomatic personnel are in a unique position to capitalize on their newly transformed political and economic influence.     

The Inability of Japan to Adapt to China＇ s Rise and China＇ s Strategic Response

since China first surpassed Japan in 2010 to become the world＇s second largest economy, the continuing friction and tensions between China and Japan has intensified around issues such as the Diaoyu Islands and the East China Sea air defense identification zone. At the end of 2013, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe＇s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, the Sino-Japanese relationship was brought to the lowest point in nearly 30 years. What are the deep-seated reasons for this？ What are Japan＇s strategic intentions？ These questions are worthy of further exploration.     

China’s rise as a strategic challenge and opportunity: India’s China discourse and strategy

The simultaneous rise of China and India is one of the most important developments in contemporary world politics. Given their steadily growing power and aspirations and China’s more assertive posture in Asia, the management of China’s rise is one of the major challenges for India’s foreign policy. However, India is often said to have no guiding strategic framework for its China policy, which is seen as incoherent and reactive. This article, by contrast, shows that India has an evolving China strategy and that the alleged inconsistencies in India’s China policy are rather the result of an ambivalent image of China. Drawing on constructivism and discourse analysis, the article identifies the dominant perception of China in India’s foreign policy discourse and the resulting foreign policy strategy. In a next step, the article analyzes the China policy of the Congress-led UPA Government and investigates whether it conforms to the strategic policy frame of the dominant China discourse.     

The Role of Soft Power in India＇s Rise

India＇s economy scored remarkable advancement in recent years. The average annual growth rate reached 8%, peaking at 9% in 2007-2008. At this speed, the economic gross of India will surpass that of Japan by 2032, making India the third largest economy just after the United States and China. Meanwhile, India has been building up its military strength. It has an army of 1,300,000 men, the third largest in the world. It not only has deterrent nuclear weapons and a large number of advanced missiles, but also a team of aircraft carriers. Its national defense budget has grown by 30% since 2000. In 2007 this budget reached US$28 billion, an 11% increase from the previous year. The rapid growth of economic and military strengths lays a solid foundation for India＇s quick rise. However, its genuine rise also has to be backed up by a strong soft power.     

The Use of Force—Stability and Instability: India,Pakistan, and China

This article evaluates the source of instability and stability in the India-Pakistan dyad and the Sino-Indian dyad. Challenging the dominant thesis that “means determine ends,” the article posits that the use of force by Pakistan renders the India-Pakistan relationship unstable, whereas the Sino-Indian relationship is significantly more stable because of the absence of force. The difference in the state of stability in both dyads is because the weaker state, Pakistan in its conflict with India has failed to accept the verdict of its military defeats. This failure to internalize irreversible military outcomes makes Pakistan particularly susceptible to employing forcible solutions to settle its dispute with India over Kashmir. The reality reverses in the Sino-Indian territorial dispute, in that India has implicitly accepted its military loss against China in 1962 and charted a diplomatic pathway in resolving the boundary dispute.     

China＇s Rise vs. International Order Evolution

A heated debate over the rise of China has been going on unabated in the international community for nearly two decades. However, with the elapse of time, the initial divergence of views in the mainstream opinion has gradually diminished and the gap in China policy among nations has likewise narrowed down. Instead, reason and a realistic approach have eventually taken center stare.     

The Role of Africa in China＇s Rise

Africa plays an important role in China＇s rise. Sino-African ties bolsters up Chinese influence. African enthusiasm for taking a leaf from China＇s experience to shake off poverty has boosted China＇s soft power. Africa defends China as a responsible partner against Western slander of practicing neocolonialism. Africa provides China with the driving force for sustainable development. Africa supports China＇s national unification and demonstrates political solidarity with China. In recent years Africa＇s success in enhancing collective strength through deepening solidarity has won admiration and respect. Its strategic status is on a steady rise. It is our sincere hope that Africa will walk on the road of prosperity as soon as possible.     

China''''s Rise and the External Circumstances

I would like to touch upon two things: how to assess China's rise and its international environment. The first is a controversial issue among the Chinese academic community with some claiming that China is rapidly rising and others seeing such a statement a luxury. This difference in assessment represents the focus of the current debate. Is Chinas rise a reality already? Of course not. In the light of Deng Xiaopings design, China will not reach the level of a medium developed country…     

Reflections on the “Other Crisis” of 1962: China and India

John F. Kennedy confronted a second major crisis in 1962: the Chinese invasion of India, which threatened the territorial integrity of the world’s largest democracy. India appealed for and received US military aid in a major airlift. Kennedy also constrained Pakistan from opening a second front against India. At the peak of the crisis, India appealed for direct American military intervention against China. The 1962 crisis still resonates; the border is in dispute, fueling a trilateral arms race.