Three's not a crowd: China seeks trilateral talks with India, US

New York: As Europe’s debt crisis resurfaces and US economic indicators soften, Beijing and Washington are “destined to form a community of shared interests, responsibilities and destinies,” assistant foreign minister Le Yucheng told a forum in Beijing on Wednesday. “In this networked world of myriad challenges, win-win cooperation is not a choice but the choice,” Le said, stressing that this is precisely the “new answer” that Washington is seeking in its attempts to reconcile with China’s rise. While talking about China, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said in March that Washington is “now trying to find an answer, a new answer to the ancient question of what happens when an established power and a rising power meet.” [caption id=“attachment_260283” align=“alignright” width=“380” caption=“There’s room for one more. Image courtesy PIB”]  [/caption] Picking up on Clinton’s theme, Le turned to the shifting world order, saying the rising powers, on which the global economic recovery and growth have come to depend, are happy to do their bit. China’s economy grew at the slowest pace in three years in the first quarter, setting the stage for monetary loosening and aid to exporters to drive a rebound and fuel global growth. Analysts say Premier Wen Jiabao is now likely to cut banks’ required reserves and directs funds to infrastructure projects. That will help global expansion clouded by lacklustre US job creation and Europe’s sovereign-debt crisis. “Today, nobody can deny that the recovery and growth of the world economy now depends, to a large extent, on emerging economies,” Le said at a forum held by the China Institute of International Studies. “One should make use of it and partner with emerging countries to promote development and stability in the world,” Le said. “Emerging countries are not troublemakers. Their rise is not a challenge, much less a threat, but an important contribution and rare opportunity for the world.” Leaders of China, Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa just wrapped up a high-profile BRICS summit in New Delhi last month. The BRICS group which accounts for 42 percent of the world’s population and a fifth of its GDP, vowed to play a more active role in global affairs in a joint declaration. While some observers believe the rising powers pose a challenge to, and may ultimately help end Western supremacy, Le said that the “zero-sum game” mentality must change in an increasingly interconnected world. The Hindu reported on Wednesday that China backed the idea of a trilateral dialogue with India and the US. When asked about a proposal put forward last week by a Chinese scholar advocating such a dialogue, Le Yucheng said China was “open and positive” to greater communication. “We believe dialogue is better than confrontation,” Le said. The Hindu said Le’s remarks reflected “a wider shift” in Chinese strategic thinking away from a traditional view of its relationships in the region which tended to “frame ties with India largely against the backdrop of China’s relations with Pakistan and concerns over US containment.” “This shift has also been seen in unusually strong comments from Chinese officials and the State media this week in welcoming an improvement in India-Pakistan ties. The Foreign Ministry, which rarely breaks from script while commenting on issues not directly involving China, said it was “happy” to see Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari travel to India,” said The Hindu. In December, US, Japan, and India held the first of what is shaping up to be a robust trilateral dialogue, but all sides have been quick to say that it’s not aimed at isolating China. The trilateral meeting came at a time when China is becoming increasingly assertive in East Asia and the US is seeking to ramp up its engagement with the economically-dynamic Asia-Pacific region. Analysts and diplomats have pressed for a similar trilateral dialogue among  India, the US and China. There is no doubt that the upcoming change in China’s leadership, and the coming election in the US, will add new vitality to the trilateral relationship between China, the US and India.