China's overland Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road Thread

[aksha]

i have heard that chinese members think that Indian people have a hostilty to China
.
i will not deny it.mostly anyway

and the Indian media plays a big part in it.

but there are an increasing number of Indian students studying in China.
13,578 as of MAY 25, 2015, according to economic times.

when and if they come home they can help change perceptions.


i myself am likely to find myself in China ,as a student, soon.

 

[plawolf]

i have heard that chinese members think that Indian people have a hostilty to China
.
i will not deny it.mostly anyway

and the Indian media plays a big part in it.

but there are an increasing number of Indian students studying in China.
13,578 as of MAY 25, 2015, according to economic times.

when and if they come home they can help change perceptions.


i myself am likely to find myself in China ,as a student, soon.

Indeed, there is almost always a massive difference in attitude and perceptions between those who have been to China compared to those who have only heard or read about China.

In the mainstream western and Indian media, positive or even neutral stories about China are rarer than hen's teeth.

Even when forced to report on something positive that China has done which could not be easily ignored, western media almost always try to throw in some snide little quip or bring in the most tenuously related criticism or bad news for "balance".

Conversely, when reporting on negative stories, they either don't bother to add any positive counter, or if they do, they religiously ensure to add some qualifying remark about the source being a "Government mouthpiece", which all good western readers have been conditioned into automatically dismissing as propaganda or deliberately mistranslate to make the counter argument seem silly and ridiculous.

 

[Zool]

i have heard that chinese members think that Indian people have a hostilty to China
.
i will not deny it.mostly anyway

and the Indian media plays a big part in it.

but there are an increasing number of Indian students studying in China.
13,578 as of MAY 25, 2015, according to economic times.

when and if they come home they can help change perceptions.


i myself am likely to find myself in China ,as a student, soon.

It's fairly evident when interacting with many Indian netizen's that there is a strong hostility, or perhaps better termed 'resentment', towards China based on history from the 60's to today's ranking between the countries in economic and military development.

I think you are completely right that the Indian Media plays a large and damaging role in general sentiment towards China and I also think that the hard feelings are, for the most part, held by older individuals. It may be a situation where once the older generation starts to die off things will get better between the two countries. In the meantime travel and cultural links need to be strengthened (which is starting: India has begun process of fast-track VISA for Chinese citizens - China should do same) and the media should be reined in / held accountable for stoking fears and hate.

The greatest win for India, China and Pakistan would be reconciliation. Integration through SCO, AIIB and other regional bodies is a good start. It will be more difficult for India & Pakistan obviously, but if China feels less animosity aimed at it from India, it will be more favorable to playing a constructive role that takes a greater portion of India's concerns into consideration. China can bridge that gap over time, but it can't even begin to support Indian concerns in any meaningful way until it see's a change in view towards it by India.

 

[Blackstone]

Indeed, there is almost always a massive difference in attitude and perceptions between those who have been to China compared to those who have only heard or read about China.

In the mainstream western and Indian media, positive or even neutral stories about China are rarer than hen's teeth.

Even when forced to report on something positive that China has done which could not be easily ignored, western media almost always try to throw in some snide little quip or bring in the most tenuously related criticism or bad news for "balance".

Conversely, when reporting on negative stories, they either don't bother to add any positive counter, or if they do, they religiously ensure to add some qualifying remark about the source being a "Government mouthpiece", which all good western readers have been conditioned into automatically dismissing as propaganda or deliberately mistranslate to make the counter argument seem silly and ridiculous.

Unfortunately, empirical evidence support your views. Although there are some American journalists that take balanced views, my experience is the vast majority of US media are negative on China. The same could be said for the majority of the pundits.

 

[Blackstone]

i have heard that chinese members think that Indian people have a hostilty to China
.
i will not deny it.mostly anyway

and the Indian media plays a big part in it.

but there are an increasing number of Indian students studying in China.
13,578 as of MAY 25, 2015, according to economic times.

when and if they come home they can help change perceptions.


i myself am likely to find myself in China ,as a student, soon.

The 1962 Sino-India war continues to poison the goodwill between India and China, and that's too bad. For thousands of years, China and India enjoyed peace, trade, and cultural exchanges that greatly enriched the Chinese civilization. Recent improvements in Indian economy and military procurements can, in the long run, have positive influences on the two countries as India feels less vulnerable and Beijing's friendly assurances would sound less hollow (because New Delhi could take care of itself militarily) . India is a great civilization, and it is also a reemerging great power. China should stop looking down on it.

 

[Zool]

India is a great civilization, and it is also a reemerging great power. China should stop looking down on it.

This last bit seemed odd to me, in that I have seen no examples of the Chinese government making statements or acting in a way that looks down on the Indian civilization. Can you provide some?

On the contrary I have seen statements out of China recognizing India as a fellow ancient culture and congratulating it's progress as a major developing nation. In fact, keeping to topic, China has made every effort to include India in the OBOR/Silk Road initiative along with the new financial institutions it has founded (even in the face of Indian hesitancy & suspicion).

So as to your comment above, I just don't see it.

 

[Blackstone]

This last bit seemed odd to me, in that I have seen no examples of the Chinese government making statements or acting in a way that looks down on the Indian civilization. Can you provide some?

On the contrary I have seen statements out of China recognizing India as a fellow ancient culture and congratulating it's progress as a major developing nation. In fact, keeping to topic, China has made every effort to include India in the OBOR/Silk Road initiative along with the new financial institutions it has founded (even in the face of Indian hesitancy & suspicion).

So as to your comment above, I just don't see it.

By China, I meant the general public and not the government. Strike up conversations in China vis-a-vis India, and it's clear a great number of Chinese have low opinions of India.

 

[JayBird]

By China, I meant the general public and not the government. Strike up conversations in China vis-a-vis India, and it's clear a great number of Chinese have low opinions of India.

Other than some light hearted jokes about India, ( just like any other nationals make jokes about other countries) I think most Chinese respected India as a great civilization with long history just like China. And shared similar humiliating experiences with the western powers in the last 100-200 years, now both are on the raise again.

Like I said before, most Chinese don't have any resentment towards India as a nation or people. Maybe just as a competitor in the international arena. But reading online forums you would think maybe China did a Nanjing Massacre on New Delhi or something.

 

[Zool]

By China, I meant the general public and not the government. Strike up conversations in China vis-a-vis India, and it's clear a great number of Chinese have low opinions of India.

I see. Well, I cannot speak for the general public in China, as I am not Chinese and only visit once every few years on average. But it's not the view put out by the government of China or Chinese media-at-large that I have seen.

The point of difference is clear though when you look at Indian Media messaging regarding China. And I think most on this board are knowledgeable enough to understand how Media shapes an individuals perception over time. In any case, I think the joint association of India & China within these new regional bodies and initiatives can be a positive, if leveraged correctly by both parties.

 

[janjak desalin]

(...)In any case, I think the joint association of India & China within these new regional bodies and initiatives can be a positive, if leveraged correctly by both parties.

Agreed!
Having good news of accomplishments that result from the cooperation of entities perceived to be in conflict, might mitigate the motivations of national media to diminish the others' accomplishments. Of course, old habits die hard and antipathies might persist, even in cooperative projects, in which national media may diminish the significance of others' contributions to cooperative projects. Hopefully, the former of these two would obtain.