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17:30, 12-Apr-2019
India election: Analyzing the likely impact on China-India ties
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It was a meeting that has set the tone for ties between the two countries. President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a two-day informal summit in China's Wuhan in 2014. Both sides signed multiple agreements and agreed to carry forward the "Wuhan spirit."
Since then, diplomatic exchanges between the two countries have only increased.
Despite disagreements over the border and some other issues, both India and China decided to deepen their economic cooperation.
So will elections in India change anything? Experts say: Not likely.
On the question of India's relationship with China, Modi told a news channel on Tuesday that India's ties with its neighbor have strengthened despite divergences on many issues. He says he's focused on not letting differences turn into disputes.
Diplomatic analysts believe any change in leadership in India would not turn the clock back. They point to Indian government policies before Modi rose to power in 2014. The Congress party that led the establishment at the time maintained a sound relationship with China for over a decade.
During that period, both nations successfully cooperated on a global level on many occasions.
On issues like climate change and WTO trade talks, Beijing and New Delhi formed a significant portion of a “developing country” bloc and found commonality in their agenda.
During his visit in 2014 to India, President Xi took time to meet India's former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then Congress party Chief Sonia Gandhi and called them the "old friends of the Chinese people."
China is India's third largest trading partner and bilateral trade reached a historic high of almost 85 billion U.S. dollars in 2017.
In the words of the State Councillor and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi: "The Chinese dragon and Indian elephant must not fight each other but dance with each other."
Observers say the dance will likely continue after the elections.
(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)