Times of India: The Wuhan Puzzle

China and India, the world’s two most populous nations, are rivals for trade and regional influence. A two-day summit between Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi may have been a quest for cooperation and Nayan Chanda, writing for the Times of India, refers to a Mao Zedong theory on setting priorities: “In his famous work ‘On Contradiction,’ Mao stated successful policy depends on identifying the principal contradiction and setting aside secondary contradictions,” explains the founding editor of YaleGlobal Online. Xi may have determined that China’s US relationship takes precedence over rivalries with neighboring states like India. The United States has threatened a trade war over its deficit with China and accusations of intellectual property theft – and tightens regulations on technology sales to China and Chinese foreign direct investment. Xi may have concluded that a clash with the US over such policies is inevitable and focuses on minimizing lesser conflicts. Chanda concludes, “Beijing’s blatant pandering – describing India as China’s equal as the ‘backbone of the world’s multipolarisation and economic globalization’ – demonstrates that the Wuhan Summit was all about resolving minor contradictions that could be handled at a more opportune time.” – YaleGlobal