Roadmap for Answer Writing Introduction Brief Overview of BPTA: Begin with a brief introduction to the India-China Border Peace and Tranquility Agreement (BPTA), signed in 1993. Mention the key aim of the agreement, which is to ensure peace and stability along the ...
BRIC was conceived by British Economist Jim O’Neill signifying the four most dynamic emerging economies. It has over time evolved as the BRICS grouping with the inclusion of South Africa. It has evolved as a symbol of shifting global landscape. It is the acronym coined to associate five major emergiRead more
BRIC was conceived by British Economist Jim O’Neill signifying the four most dynamic emerging economies. It has over time evolved as the BRICS grouping with the inclusion of South Africa. It has evolved as a symbol of shifting global landscape. It is the acronym coined to associate five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The BRICS members are known for their significant influence on regional affairs. It represents over 40% of the global population and around 22% of Global GDP. Four out of five members are among the world’s ten largest countries by population and by area, except for South Africa, the twenty-fourth in both.
Economic Divergence And Political Differences
However, scholars like Joseph Nye have criticised it as BRICS without mortar, emphasising the internal fractures and divergences within the grouping. Some of these can be identified as divergences in long term economic trajectory and political differences:
Economic Divergences
- China: China’s share of global GDP has increased from 7.7% in 2001 to 17.4% in 2019, according to IMF data. Even the arrival of a global pandemic has been a chance for China to outperform its fellow BRICS that have had much larger and more sustained epidemics.
- India: India’s response to COVID-19 has been among the most stringent as the country sought to quell an epidemic that has resulted in the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases —8.3 million — and third-highest death toll — 123,000. India’s GDP fell by 7.5% in July-September, the economy in a technical recession for the first time ever with horrific declines in some sectors including a 50.3% contraction in construction.
- Brazil: Like India, Brazil has been hit hard by the pandemic. Brazil has had the third most cases and, at over 160,000, the second most fatalities. But unlike India, President Jair Bolsonaro’s government decided against severe lockdowns and turned on fiscal taps, with a stimulus totalling 8.3% of GDP. This creates a threat of a widening fiscal deficit in an already strained economy.
- Russia: Russia has struggled to broaden the structure of its economic growth away from the volatile energy sector, while sanctions were put in place by the U.S. and European Union in 2014 following Russia’s occupation of Crimea, with further measures imposed in 2017 in response to Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
- South Africa: South Africa’s ballooning debt burden has adversely affected the health of its economy. It also suffers from lower credit rating by global agencies signifying the mellow investment climate. Economic growth is structurally weak despite a decade of government spending, which has seen a public debt-to-GDP rise from 30.1% in 2010 to 62.2% in 2019, while unemployment is around 30%.
Political Differences
1. Political diversity: China is a one-party state; Russia’s governance is highly centralized; Brazil, India, and South Africa are democracies with significant corruption levels and/or ethnic strife still to deal with. Following is an effort to elucidate country-specific cases:
- Brazil: Brazil’s political life is wracked by widespread corruption, politicized courts, and fierce divisions within the political elite.
- Russia: While Russia remains a partial electoral democracy, Russian citizens’ adherence to democratic values and procedures is low. Furthermore, nationalist tendencies within Russian society have become radicalized. Prompted by the developments in Ukraine and the search for a ‘fifth column’ among the liberals and Westernizers, human rights activists have been marginalized and tensions within Russian society have increased.
- India: India has maintained its credentials of a robust democracy but the multiplicity of cross-cutting cleavages and corruption are underlying faultlines in the political system.
- China: is the only one of the BRICS to be an outright one-party dictatorship. The government has continued to be responsive to a wide range of social interests and to implement measures to improve public service provision. At the same time, the government tightened the screws on any form of dissent. China features an absence of political and civil rights, competent government, and dizzyingly-fast socio-economic development.
- South Africa: Ethnic and familial nepotism is rife in South Africa, going right up to the former president, Jacob Zuma, who used public funds to renovate his private home. The country remains racially polarized, with low levels of trust between the country’s historically-defined racial groups and with most South Africans still living in very racially homogeneous neighbourhoods.
2.India-China bilateral issues: Given the disruptions and instabilities that mark India-China relation, for example, the recent border skirmishes at Galwan valley; there is always a threat of derailment of negotiations at a plurilateral platform like BRICS. 3. Similarly, another emerging axis like the Pakistan-Russia axis or the Moscow-Beijing-Islamabad axis may create divergences with Indian interests and adversely affect negotiations. Further, the fact remains that BRICS is still far from achieving its initial goals: reform of global financial governance, the democratisation of the United Nations, and the expansion of the Security Council. It is so, partially because two of its members (China and Russia) do not want the other three members (India, South Africa and Brazil) to obtain parity in the global pecking order. Notwithstanding these divergences and differences, efforts can be made to enable BRICS to achieve its potential:
- First, the New Development Bank (NDB), the grouping’s flagship achievement, needs to grow as “a global development finance institution”.
- Second, with a successful Contingent Reserve Arrangement in the bag, BRICS governments should also seek to establish a local currency, Bond Fund.
- Thirdly, the proposal to launch a credit rating agency should also see the light of the day.
- Fourthly, following up on the decisions taken at the previous summit, operationalisation of the Partnership on New Industrial Revolution should be prioritised. It is focused on cooperation in digitalisation, industrialisation, innovation, inclusiveness and investment. This partnership can be concretised by establishing industrial and science parks, innovation centres and business incubators.
- Fifth, the stress on developing people-to-people interaction should be sustained, with each chair-country drawing up a calendar of activities to strengthen links of culture, arts, sports, media and academic exchange.
Cooperation under the aegis of BRICS not only signified the economic potential of emerging economies but also the pinnacle of South-South bonding. Against the backdrop of the continued Western dominance of the world order, development cooperation and enhanced partnership in kindred areas of technology and innovation among BRICS countries will help create a more symmetrical world. It can also act as a bulwark against the rising walls of protectionism and an inward-looking world view driven by deglobalisation and COVID induced economic shock. As PM Modi emphasises, if BRICS can set and lead the agenda of the global world order, a Golden decade can be created for humankind. Alternately, BRICS should stand for “business, regional integration, innovation, culture and statesmanship.”
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How The India-China Border Peace and Tranquility Agreement (BPTA) Helps In Containing Border Tension A landmark bilateral agreement between India and China, the India-China Border Peace and Tranquility Agreement (BPTA), was signed on September 7, 1993 and has been instrumental in managing and reduciRead more
How The India-China Border Peace and Tranquility Agreement (BPTA) Helps In Containing Border Tension
A landmark bilateral agreement between India and China, the India-China Border Peace and Tranquility Agreement (BPTA), was signed on September 7, 1993 and has been instrumental in managing and reducing border tensions between the two countries. The agreement is effective since 1994 and aims to provide a framework for peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between India and China. In this article, we will see the important provisions of BPTA and understand the context of BPTA in the disputes between Indo-China border with our analysis of its achievements and limitations.
Historical Context
The India-China boundary is long and complicated, with much of the 3,488 km line being undefined and claimed by both sides. The largest territorial disputes lie in the west, in the Aksai Chin region, and in the east, in the Arunachal Pradesh region. These tensions have resulted in a number of confrontations, most notably the Sino-Indian war of 1962. The evidence suggested that there was a need for mechanism to avoid such conflicts and maintain mutual respect and understanding.
Key Provisions of the BPTA
Several key provisions of the BPTA seek to ease border tensions and encourage peaceful cohabitation:
CBMs (Confidence-Building Measures)
The treaty called for both countries to recognize the LAC and refrain from any use or threat of use of force against each other.
They agreed on the need to reduce forces in the border regions and to clarify the alignment of the LAC.
Regular Border Meetings:
It included provisions for regular meetings between border personnel at multiple levels to discuss and resolve border issues amicably.
Joint working groups and processes were put in place to communicatie and collaborate.
Advance Notice and Coordination:
The two will also give prior warning of military activities and exercise near the LAC.
They also pledged to work together to address border infrastructure and patrolling issues.
Liberal pseudo-legal and pseudo-diplomatic frame:
The BPTA offered a legal and diplomatic structure to settle border disputes through dialogue and negotiation.
It stressed the necessity of a peaceful and stable border region for promotion of regional stability and economic cooperation.
Humanitarian Assistance:
The agreement included language on providing humanitarian assistance in the event of natural disasters or other emergencies along the border.
It also enabled exchange of cultural and trade delegations to put relations on a better footing.
Achievements of the BPTA
Thus far, the BPTA has had several significant successes since being signed to defuse border tensions:
Decrease of Military Hostilities:
The arrangement has reduced the frequency and intensity of military confrontations along the LAC.
The two sides have mostly stuck to the CBMs, keeping tensions from spiraling into all-out war.
Enhanced Communication:
The exchanges of information of Indian and Chinese border personnel through regular border meetings and establishment of communication channels has also been improved.
This has helped prevent small disputes and误解s from growing into bigger problems.
Maintaining Stability in the Border Region
Moreover, the BPTA has played an important role in ensuring a general normalcy in the border region, so that New Delhi and Dhaka can channel their energies toward economic and other forms of cooperation.
With the agreement now signed, the military option is off the table, allowing dialogue and negotiation to proceed without the specter of potential military action looming.
Humanitarian Impact:
The humanitarian assistance provisions have proved helpful during natural disasters, with both countries extending aid to one another after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.
Cultural and trade delegations have exchanged visits to facilitate mutual understanding and trust.
Limitations and Challenges
The BPTA, despite its successes, has encountered some limitations and challenges:
Undefined LAC:
The LAC is not clearly defined in many areas, resulting in different interpretations by both sides.
That ambiguity tends to create patrol standoffs and temporary encroachments, which can also strain relations.
Non-Adherence to Provisions:
One or both sides have sometimes fallen short of full compliance with BPTA provisions.
The Galwan Valley clash of 2020 and tension on the Depsang Plain in 2021 bear testimony to the continuing challenges in maintaining peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Strategic Interests:
The border regions hold strategic interests for both India and China, encompassing resource access and geopolitical dominance.
As such, these interests often supersede the BPTA provisions so as to block a sustainable resolution of the conflicts.
Political Tensions:
Again, political controversies and international factors (relations with other countries) can affect the implementation of the BPTA.
Strained relations with Pakistan have often been accompanied by heightened tension on the border.
Conclusion
The India-China Border Peace and Tranquility Agreement (BPTA) has functions as an essential instrument for managing the complex and often fragile border disputes between India and China. While the agreement has been successful in curtailing military actions and bettering communication, it remains hampered by the ambiguous status of LAC, both countries’ strategic ambitions and political posturing. It may be flawed and limited, but even now the BPTA provides an essential framework for sustaining peace and stability in the region. Now, both countries must continue implementing it, in full, and pursue supplemental actions that treat the roots of their border conflicts.
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