Opinion | Hong Kong can play vital part in boosting crucial Sino-India relations
By the second half of the 21st century, the Sino-Indian relationship will become the world’s most significant geopolitical relationship, dislodging even the complex China-US cooperative rivalry. By 2050, the world’s three largest economies are likely to comprise some combination of China, India and the United States. PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts this exact order – with the US…
By the second half of the 21st century, the Sino-Indian relationship will become the world’s most significant geopolitical relationship, dislodging even the complex China-US cooperative rivalry. By 2050, the world’s three largest economies are likely to comprise some combination of China, India and the United States. PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts this exact order – with the US having the highest per capita income but the smallest population.
Both Asian powerhouses enjoy significant theoretical complementarity. China leads in advanced manufacturing; India has long positioned itself as a global service hub, specifically in software, digital and high-end professional services. China, with its ageing population, is “investing in people”; India’s demographic dividend positions it as the world’s largest exporter of young and capable workers.
Crucially, they are co-beneficiaries and can become co-architects of a world order no longer unilaterally determined by any single power. From Brics to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Beijing and New Delhi are both firm advocates of a geopolitical realignment away from a Western-led post-Cold-War order. While the modes of governance differ, their peoples share much common ground, with thousands of years of civilisational history and heritage to draw on.
India’s ambassador to China, Pradeep Kumar Rawat, recently visited Hong Kong to unveil the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the India Club. He also met Macau Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai. These are promising signs of how senior Indian diplomats view the two Chinese special administrative regions. If Hong Kong is to live up to its reputation as China’s most international and outward-looking city, it must leverage its assets to contribute meaningfully to the Sino-Indian partnership.
Indeed, this should be an important pillar of Hong Kong’s coming five-year plan. The city has much going for it: the common law system and bilingualism render us highly compatible economies. The human connection is key. While direct mainland China-India flights were suspended between 2020 and 2025 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and border clashes, Hong Kong kept the door open for our friends from the South.
Historically, Indian community leaders were pivotal in the establishment of the University of Hong Kong, Star Ferry and Ruttonjee Hospital, to name just a few. Today, the Indian diaspora of roughly 44,000 make vital contributions to the city in sectors spanning finance, logistics, hospitality and tourism, and supply chain management.
14:30
How Indian cuisine travelled to Hong Kong and evolved to please local palates
How Indian cuisine travelled to Hong Kong and evolved to please local palates
We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Thailand launches air strikes on Cambodia after soldier killed Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian…
US PresidentDonald Trumpon Friday issued his latest threat to attack Iran militarily, warning in asocial mediapost that theUnited Statesis “ready to go” ifTehranintensifies its crackdown on ongoing streetprotests. “If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump wrote on Truth…
Passersby stopped Thailand’s former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva every now and again to ask for selfies as the salt-and-pepper-haired leader walked through a bustling market in Bangkok, campaigning for general elections on Sunday. “Good to see you again, still handsome just like before,” said one noodle vendor, reflecting voters’ persisting warm feelings for the Oxford-trained…
Islamabad –Report M.Saleem jutt A 26-point joint declaration was issued on Sunday at an All Parties Conference (APC) hosted by the Awami National Party (ANP), strongly condemning terrorism, extremism, and lawlessness across Pakistan. The declaration emphasized the urgent need for comprehensive measures to eliminate militancy and ensure the safety of citizens’ lives and property. It…
Australia’s move into autonomous air combat has entered a decisive phase, with its Ghost Bat drone scoring its first air-to-air kill, underscoring how the country is racing to counter China’s growing long-range strike reach from the South China Sea. Multiple media outlets reported that during a trial this month at the Woomera Test Range, the…
India launched a revision of its voter rolls on Tuesday, expanding a contentious exercise that activists warn could fuel disenfranchisement in the world’s largest democracy. The three-month voter registration overhaul – known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) – kicked off in 12 states and territories, many of which are slated to hold local elections…
