An unstable world brings Modi and Xi together, for now

global instability. In bilateral discussions, the Chinese would quiz Indians about the views of US President Donald Trump regarding various issues. Beijing has also been alarmed at Islamic militancy in West Asia and renewed fighting in Afghanistan. Beijing sees Pakistan and even Russia as playing unhelpful roles in these regions. North Korea and the looming trade war with the US have only added to China’s prioritising stability above all else.

Broadly, say a number of sources, amid all this turmoil Xi Jinping sees the Modi regime as a source of stability. As MIT China expert M Taylor Fravel has noted, “Contrary to the conventional wisdom, China views India’s rise as a positive development.” Beijing, which has struggled to restructure its economy the past few years, is also impressed with Modi’s ability to carry out economic reforms and maintain growth rates.

New Delhi, for its part, believes it has successfully confronted China on three counts — securing the Dalai Lama’s succession, opposing the Belt Road Initiative and enforcing the status quo in Doklam — and can afford to take a break during a year of domestic consolidation. None of these issues have been settled and there is expectation the two will cross swords over them again.

Senior Indian officials say there is no strategic shift in IndiaChina relations. New Delhi will seek to undermine the Belt Road Initiative. China will block India from entering the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Both will contend with each other for Indian Ocean dominance. For now, the two countries have agreed the new priority is greater engagement over a world fraying at the edges. There is so much instability, a senior Indian official noted recently, “no government has a grand strategy today.”