Multimedia 1 of 15

Alka Acharya IDRC Photos: tecklesphoto.com

Listen to a clip from Acharya’s talk

Listen to Acharya’s entire lecture


India and China represent “one of the key relationships in the world today,” said Alka Acharya, a leading Indian sinologist, during a public talk at IDRC on October 30.

Acharya described how the relationship has grown rapidly from one revolving around a volatile border dispute, to one that now encompasses complex political and economic connections.

She pointed out that China is now India’s second largest trading partner, and that the two cooperate in international negotiations on areas of common concern – such as the environment and energy market regulation.

“We are not only learning new things about China, but we are unlearning many things,” said Acharya. “We are moving from earlier perspectives, which were essentially dominated by the military … to one which realizes that there are issues and areas on which we can cooperate for mutual benefit.”

But while the relationship is currently amiable, underlying tensions remain as China and India compete over their own strategic interests, said Acharya. She also touched on potential flashpoints between the two countries: China’s military support to Pakistan, India’s support for the Dalai Lama, and a lingering border dispute.

Acharya teaches Chinese foreign policy and political economy at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. She has been nominated by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the India-China Eminent Persons Group, and is a member of the government’s National Security Advisory Board.

Acharya has written widely on India-China relations and other aspects of Chinese foreign policy. She is chief editor of China Report: a Journal of East Asian Affairs, and contributes regularly to the Economic and Political Weekly.

Alka Acharya and IDRC President, David Malone

Her most recent book is, China & India: Politics of Incremental Engagement.

The event was the third installment in IDRC’s year-long series The India Lectures, which mark the 25th anniversary of the opening of IDRC’s South Asia regional office in New Delhi. As part of the series, IDRC has also hosted journalist M.J. Akbar, leading political analyst Pratap Mehta, and eminent political scientist Rajeev Bhargava.

IDRC has supported research for development in India since its founding, nearly 40 years ago.

The opinions expressed here reflect those of the speaker alone, and not necessarily those of the International Development Research Centre.

Multimedia 1 of 15