In a clear warning to China, India in January said that Chinese hegemony in Asia is unacceptable. Addressing scholars at the 13th All India Conference of China Studies, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said, “The India-China relationship is today truly at a crossroads. Choices that are made will have profound repercussions, not just for the two nations but for the entire world.” The minister said India-China relations were dependent on three ‘mutuals’ and eight principles. One of the principles, he said was that while both nations are committed to a multi-polar world, “there should be a recognition that a multi-polar Asia is one of its essential constituents.” Among other principles, he said the agreements already reached must be adhered to in their entirety, both in letter and spirit. Where the handling of the border areas are concerned, the LAC must be strictly observed and respected, any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo is completely unacceptable, he said.

Also, peace and tranquility in the border areas is the basis for development of relations in other domains. “If they are disturbed, so inevitably will the rest of the relationship. This is quite apart from the issue of progress in the boundary negotiations,” he said. The fifth principle he said that is obviously that each state will have its own interests, concerns and priorities, but sensitivity to them cannot be one-sided. At the end of the day, relationships between major states are reciprocal in nature. Sixth, as rising powers, each will have their own set of aspirations and their pursuit too cannot be ignored. Seventh, there will always be divergences and differences but their management is essential to the ties. And eighth, civilisational states like India and China must always take the long view.