New Delhi (Aryavarth): India just hosted the annual G20 summit, a meeting that brings together the world’s major economies. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in India, is celebrating the ‘G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration’ as a landmark event. However, the declaration failed to address China’s controversial map, which has strained Sino-Indian relations.
After China’s release of a contentious ‘standard map’ that incorporated Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin, Congress MLA and former Union Minister Ninong Ering had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the matter of China’s assertiveness in the G20 Summit in Delhi. “…Being an elected representative of Arunachal Pradesh’s Pasighat West seat, I appeal to you to discuss this matter of China unilaterally making changes in its map with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the upcoming G20 Summit,” Ering had said in the letter to PM Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi successfully managed to build an unexpected consensus among the G20 countries on the issue of Ukraine, despite differences within the group. Emerging economies like Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia played significant roles in reaching this breakthrough. The final declaration touched upon shared views on climate change and economic development but stopped short of explicitly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Yet, the elephant in the room remained China’s controversial map, released barely a week before the summit. This map has ruffled feathers not just in India, but also in Japan, Russia, and several Southeast Asian countries.
The absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the summit added another layer of complexity to the situation. Initially expected to attend the summit, Xi ultimately sent Premier Li Qiang as his representative. This came after a brief, and reportedly unproductive, meeting between PM Modi and President Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.
India’s relationship with China has been fraught since the May 2020 border standoff. In their Johannesburg meeting, Modi made it clear to Xi that normal relations between the two countries could only resume after the withdrawal of Chinese forces from disputed territories. This strong stance by India is believed to have prompted China’s controversial map release, a move seen by many as China’s attempt to assert its claims.
Despite these tensions, the G20 declaration did not touch upon China’s map or any related issues. The BJP government, while touting the success of the G20 summit, has yet to comment on this glaring omission. This raises questions about India’s ability to use global platforms to address critical issues that directly impact its sovereignty and relations with its neighbors.
As the BJP calls the G20 summit a “historic” event, critics argue that the failure to confront China’s map transgression leaves a gaping hole in the narrative. Whether this will have longer-term implications for Sino-Indian relations, or for India’s standing on the global stage, remains to be seen.
