India is playing fire with Taiwan?

A MoU was signed on December 14 this year for industrial cooperation between Taiwan and India.

There has been a lot of noise in China and Taiwan media about this agreement. On one hand, the agreement is being appreciated in Taiwanese media that it will encourage trade and investment between the two sides.

On the other hand, Chinese government newspapers have warned India about this agreement.

The Global Times has written that India is playing fire in Taiwan case. The Global Times has sharply criticized India by referring to the comments of Indian diplomats on this agreement.

The Global Times has written, “Indian scholars have corroborated the necessary political and strategic relationship between the two sides.”

Chinese media flare up on this agreement
The Global Times has written, “Though Taiwan’s question is not a government-level issue. Some Indians are constantly advising the Modi government that they should use the Taiwan card and benefit from China in the case of One China Policy. This understanding is ahead of economic issues and can prove to be dangerous for India-China relations. ”

“Indeed, Indians forget about playing Taiwan cards that they themselves are facing many sensitive issues. India should take care that the one-China policy can not afford to cross the line of the policy.

The newspaper has written, “India is tired of attracting investment from Taiwan, but there is a need to be cautious about the political objectives of Taiwanese leader Sai Ing-wen. The Taiwanese administration is encouraging investments in telecommunications, steel and information technology of India. This relationship between the two parties is more political than the economic. ”
This Chinese newspaper has also warned Taiwanese President Sai Ingu-Wen. The Global Times has written, “Sai Eng-Wayne is playing with threats. They are working on Taiwan’s independence agenda. ”

The Globol Times has written, “If India thinks that by pressuring the Taiwan card, it can be a revenge for Dokmal stalemate, then it is in confusion. If India used the Taiwan card, then the two countries, which have covered a long distance of good relations, will not be there for the end.

Last week, the NCACA level meeting between India and China began on the border dispute.

Praise in Taiwanese media
Regarding the agreement between Taiwan and India, Taiwan Today wrote that “Tian Chung-Quang, representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC), has signed this agreement with Indian diplomat Sreedharan Madhusudan in New Delhi.”

Taiwan Today wrote that this agreement will have relations between the two countries and will be sweet.

TECC says that this agreement with India is part of the 21 agreements previously held by big business houses. On October 12 in Taipei, an industrial cooperation conference was held between the two countries.

Government figures say that trade between India and Taiwan has increased. In the first nine months of 2017, trade between the two countries increased by 40 percent to $ 4.7 billion.

Although India officially accepts the One China policy. Considering one China policy means that India accepts that Taiwan is not a separate country but it is only part of China. On the other hand, India is also increasing bilateral relations from Taiwan.

Modi gave speed to relations?
Since Modi came to power, the ‘Look East’, a key philosophy of India’s foreign policy, was called ‘Act East’. Many experts believe that the Modi government of India is promoting ties with Taiwan only under the ‘Act East’ policy.

India had accepted the People’s Republic of China in 1950, ending bilateral relations with Taiwan. India did this work a few years after its independence.

During the Cold War, the informal relationship between India and Taiwan had worsened. India had gone into the non-alignment camp and Taiwan had joined the US-led coalition.

Narasimha Rao had restored the relationship
Despite no official diplomatic relations between India and Taiwan, the relationship between the two sides grew in the 1990s.

This change took place in the time of Prime Minister Narasimha Rao. Further governments and governments have also worked to deepen this relationship. In 1995, India-Taipei Association (ITA) was formed.

There have been many agreements between India and Taiwan since the formation of ITA. These agreements cause trade and investment to accelerate.

When the BJP and Narendra Modi government formed in 2014, Taiwan welcomed it. After Modi became Prime Minister, the relationship between the two parties was improved.

In an article by The Diplomat, Jeff Smith wrote that Modi, as BJP general secretary, visited Taiwan in 1999. According to this article, Modi, as Gujarat’s Chief Minister in 2011, had hosted the biggest Taiwanese business delegation so far.

Many experts say that now the Modi government is increasing its ties with Taiwan, together with USA, Australia and Japan.