Sino-Indian Relations in a Global Context
VIEW EVENT DETAILSAsiaConnect Briefing with Kevin Rudd, President of the Asia Society Policy Institute
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China in May marked the second time in less than a year that he and President Xi Jinping of China held summit-level meetings in their home countries. The visit was, by most accounts, a successful one. The two sides signed two dozen agreements: business deals worth an estimated $22 billion, decisions to strengthen relations between officials in various government branches, pledges by both China and India to open a new consulate in the other country, and a joint statement on climate change that acknowledged the urgency of the UN climate talks in Paris this December. The India-China border, where skirmishes occurred during President Xi’s visit to India last September, remained calm, while Prime Minister Modi candidly proposed that China “reconsider its approach” to some aspects of its foreign policy.
What does the latest meeting between the heads of Asia’s two largest countries mean for the future of their relationship? Are India and China now engaged with one another on equal footing? And what are the prospects for the two countries to cooperate on shared regional and global challenges such as climate change? ASPI President Kevin Rudd will share his views on the China-India relationship and its importance for the upcoming United Nations climate policy summit, which he recently wrote about in an op-ed for the New York Times.
The Hon. Kevin Rudd joined the Asia Society Policy Institute as its inaugural President in January 2015. He served as Australia’s 26th Prime Minister (2007-2010, 2013) and as Foreign Minister (2010-2012). He led Australia’s response during the global financial crisis — the only major developed economy not to go into recession — and helped found the G20. As Chair of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism, Mr. Rudd is also leading a 2015-2016 review of the UN system. Mr. Rudd is a Distinguished Fellow at Chatham House in London, a Distinguished Statesman with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, and a Distinguished Fellow at the Paulson Institute in Chicago. Mr. Rudd is a member of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization’s Group of Eminent Persons. He is proficient in Mandarin Chinese, serves as a Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, and co-Chairs the China Global Affairs Council of the World Economic Forum.
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ASPI’s AsiaConnect is a monthly telephone briefing series on pressing issues in Asia and U.S.-Asia relations made possible through the generous support of Asia Society Trustee Mitch Julis.