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BOOK REVIEW |
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BOOK REVIEW |
Neighborly Nurture Experts explain how China
and South Asian countries can help each other for the overall development of the region By A CORRESPONDENT China and South Asian countries are geographically close, but they are yet to work together to uplift the region. Established about two decades ago, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is walking at a snail's pace. China, one of the emerging powers of the world, has shown an interest to join the South Asian countries' effort to uplift the lives of the region's billion-plus people. China is well placed to do so. It shares borders with Nepal, India, Bhutan and Pakistan, four of the seven members of SAARC. Moreover, it consists of a billion people. So the efforts to bring China into South Asia would definitely benefit the countries of the region. In a new book, leading experts from the region highlight the areas of development and cooperation between South Asia and China. "The key objective of this publication, entitled South Asia and China: Towards Inter-regional Cooperation is to document information, knowledge and experience that were shared during the first international seminar on SAARC and China," said Dr. Upendra Gautam, who edited the volume. "The seminar was organized with an objective to bring together the recognized intellectuals, scholars and experts of the SAARC member countries and China, and help develop a common understanding and perspective among the learned participants regarding China's evolving rule in inter-regional and global development and peace, as well as share experience, ideas and information to explore effective institutional framework for dialogue and interaction between SAARC, its sub-regional group of member countries and China." For all South Asian countries, China's more active involvement in the region is matter of abiding interest, since it would usher in a new era of cooperation and development. Since South Asian countries do not have the capability to fight against growing poverty in the region, China, a country with a significantly larger per-capita income, could offer all kinds of support. "It was an imperative for the inter-regional scholars and professionals to steer clear on the process and mechanism for institutionalizing the cooperative linkage between South Asia and China," writes Dr. Gautam. Chinese scholars, too, see the possibility of extension of cooperation between their country and SAARC member states. "As a neighbor to South Asia, China especially hopes to develop good relations with the South Asian countries and the SAARC. Such good relations should include mutually beneficial economic and trade relations, healthy political relations and stable security relations. We would like to contribute to the development and progress in South Asia," said Chinese scholar Ma Jaili. "China and South Asia are close neighbors linked by common mountains and rivers. We share lengthy common borders with four SAARC members: Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan." This indicates the Chinese willingness to support in South Asian development. Although the Chinese proposal is a very new one, one cannot rule out the possibility of China joining the SAARC sphere in the coming years. "We are separate geographically, yet mutually beneficial trade and culture exchanges could be traced back a long time. The 1.3 billion Chinese population plus another 1.3 billion in South Asia stands for almost half of the world total population. We should seriously study the question of how to improve the welfare of these 2.6 billion population," said the Chinese scholar. Other scholars from the region too hold the similar views. "China will step up regional cooperation and bring its exchanges and cooperation with its surrounding countries to a new height. China will continue to enhance its solidarity and cooperation with other Third World countries, enlarge areas of cooperation and make it more fruitful," writes Niaz Naik, a former foreign secretary of Pakistan. The book, consisting of articles by Abdul Ahsan of Bangladesh, Yadab Kant Silwal of Nepal, Manoranjan Mohanty of India, Bertram Bastiampillai of Sri Lanka and Hiranya Lal Shrestha of Nepal, brings a fresh perspective to the subject of inter-regional cooperation. South Asia and China |
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