India and China: Neighbours, Global economic powerhouses...but are they really friends with each other?

It goes without saying that most Indian and Chinese people would not even explore the idea of integrating with each other’s cultures. It’s a historical thing, one which goes back to the early 19th century. Subhas Chandra Bose (1897-1945), an Indian nationalist leader, formed alliances with the Japanese during the second world war against the British and other oppressors of India, and even in Hong Kong, the Sikhs (who traditionally have been recruited into the Hong Kong Police or the armed forces) joined in with the Japanese forces. This alliance which the Indians (most of whom were Sikhs in Hong Kong and Shanghai at that time) made with the Japanese angered the local Cantonese people so much that since then there has always been a certain amount of sentiment between the Indian and Chinese communities in Hong Kong (and the rest of China for that matter)

One may question that these old thoughts may have been forgotten by the modern generation of Hong Kong people, however, according to Roger Houghton, a former Hong Kong police officer and British writer who has resided in the former British Colony for over 35 years says that these old sentiments get passed on from one generation to another. Even to the extent that sometimes Chinese elders discourage their grandchildren to make friends with Indian people. This may be a contributing factor, however, another factor is skin colour, and it is a well known fact that some Chinese people openly discriminate people of Indian origin (this is certainly true for some Cantonese people), and that includes every dark skinned person from the Middle East down to Burma, simply because these people have brown skin and smell of strong spices (of course, not everyone). There is reluctance amongst Hong Kong property owners to rent to Indians but that is more commercial than racial. Indian cuisine tends to penetrate the wallpaper and rugs and imbue the apartment with a spicy smell. When the Indian family leaves the residence, all these fittings have to be replaced. I believe it does not go any further than that. Nevertheless, Mr. Houghton explains that this attitude towards skin and smell were initially apparent in the first opium war. Also in Hong Kong, the sad fact is that the majority of Indians, Pakistanis and Nepalis do labor jobs, such as being doorman to hotels, or even the exceedingly annoying touting that goes around Tsim Sha Tsui doesn't really assist in improving their image much among Cantonese people.

On the whole things are gradually changing for good, however say, even five years ago it would have been common practice on a Hong Kong MTR train that if the only empty seat on the train were next to a seated Indian person, then no Chinese person would dare sit on that seat, no matter how tired they may be. It’s an extreme example, but one that is based on facts (and from what I have seen with my own eyes). India and China were also at a brief war in 1962, and one of my late grandfathers’, who was a Commander in the Indian Army, fought against the Chinese in that war. I doubt history will repeat itself for both China and India cannot afford to make enemies with anyone in the current global economic and political climate. I still treasure a black & white photo of him standing along side a Chinese Army Captain on the Ladakh border station in the snowy terrain holding the Indian flag; likewise his counterpart is holding the Chinese flag. I am not sure what his thoughts would be now, if he knew that his grandson is actually encouraging foreigners to visit China for business and tourism! Indeed India and China, who share the world’s largest border (from Bhutan to the northern part of Kashmir), have been scratching each other’s backs for centuries over the border dispute. I remember my late grandfather used to tell me that since times in memorial, India has always been a close friend with Japan and Russia. I realized this as I grew up. But we must all accept that times are changing. Since 2005, India and China have held a number of joint Navy, Air Force and Army military exercises to boost friendship.

Above: India-China Border at Ladakh in the Himalayas

Another interesting observation I made while I was in China was that there are a growing number of non-Chinese news presenters, and actors who speak, quite adequately, Cantonese or Mandarin. Mr. Houghton goes on to explain: “There is a young Cantonese-speaking Indian chap who started appearing in the soaps on TVB last year. His attitudes and expressions are typically Chinese in flavor but it is a step in the right direction. He has a heavy beard and clearly shaves immediately before each filming session. Even the fan kwai is getting a better reception these days. There is an Australian named Rivers, another fluent Cantonese speaker, who regularly appears on TVB. He tends to get type-cast as the evil foreign crooked businessman but at least he is a real foreigner not a Cantonese with a false beard and eyebrows who formerly represented foreigners.”

The thing that links these two TV chaps is language-ability and I think that is mainly the test for local acceptance but, query, the Sindhis all speak Cantonese tolerably well and they are not a popular group. I suspect that may be because of their demanding standards in commerce – they are skilled negotiators and difficult to make a profit with. It is also the case they are socially exclusive and rather seclude their women.

Try asking an Indian person to eat their Chapatti using chopsticks, or likewise, try asking a Chinese person to dip an Indian Chapatti into their dim-sum!!

Neighbors they may be, but India and China might as well be miles apart when it comes to cultural differences. The food, the language, the customs, the general attitude towards each other’s people and the lifestyle is nothing short of being similar. Although with the emergence of the dot.com boom in the year 2000 and the boom of trade between the two countries has somewhat brought a change to attitudes, nevertheless there are still the “old school” differences which the older generation adhere to. In certain countries where multicultural ethos is encouraged and practised as part of daily life, such as in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, the Indians have integrated quite well into the local environment. Even to the extent that there are a considerable number of inter-racial marriages between Chinese and Indian couples, however, in places like Hong Kong and China it’s not that common.

Usually the common signs of positive relations between any two countries are signaled by transportation links, especially with air and land. In 2006 Air China commenced services to India with a direct flight from Beijing to New Delhi (with a stop in Kathmandu), while Air India, India’s flag carrier, commenced operations from both Beijing and Shanghai for the first time in history. Since 2007, Jet Airways has also been operating a non-stop flight to Shanghai from Mumbai.

Sino-India relations are not just restricted to the political and industrial corporation, but also in the general friendship between the people of these two communities. Apart from the two main differences of language and culture between China and India, there are differences in the corporate world. For example when doing business in either country, surprisingly many CEOs believe that China is an open economy because the government welcomes foreign investment but that India is a relatively closed economy because of the feeble reception the Indian government gives to foreign corporations. Engaging in best practices for your business in an emerging market like India or China depends where your presence is set. For example, even though it is easier for multinationals to set up a presence in China than in India, the advantage that a newcomer to India has over China is that the local executives are more “internationally aware” than their counterparts in China, and this will make things easier for western executives. Both countries have realized this in time.

Out of the thousands of Indians in China, more than 15,000 Indian students are attracted to China’s education system by its affordable fees as well as the high quality of standards’ offered by the country’s educational establishments. Majority of Indians choose to study Medicine, not just western but also specializing in traditional Chinese medicine, which they make full use of when they return to India. The strong aspiration to learn Mandarin in China is also an attraction for most Indian students. Likewise there are just over 38,000 Chinese nationals living and working in Indian cities, mainly in Mumbai and Delhi. Kolkata is home to one of the largest Chinese communities in India. Although the majority of Chinese living here are Indian born; and regards themselves more Indian than Chinese.

Yoga is widely becoming admired in China, especially in Shanghai. There are approximately 450 native Indian yoga trainers who have made China their second home. Because of the hectic work lifestyle of the middle class in the major cities in China, after work, as part of the culture, most people usually relax themselves with a head, body or foot massage, or go to the beauty salon. However since the introduction of Yoga into the country, people are now increasingly seeing this as a trendy activity to pursuit, mostly in the evenings or at lunchtime.

One important aspect close to people of both cultures is the food. A few years ago it used to be the case that both Indians and Chinese people were not accustomed to each other’s cuisines. However all of this is changing as there are over 120 Indian restaurants in China but try asking an Indian person to eat their Chapatti using chopsticks, or likewise, try asking a Chinese person to dip an Indian Chapatti into their dimsum!!.

The general consensus is that both Chinese and Indian people are beginning to recognize, appreciate and take an interest in each other’s cultures. I remember, even as far aback as 2005, at being surprised to see an Indian TV serial being screened on China’s state operated CCTV8 every evening. Despite it being dubbed in Mandarin, it, nevertheless, would have brought a smile to any Indian expat’s face- perhaps also an excuse to learn Chinese in an interesting way! It will be trade that brings the parties together. It would be great if the sporting switch could also be used but I am not aware it has yet. The great mass of Chinese in the interior and Indians in the villages may not be aware of change for half a century but it should occur quite quickly in the towns and spread from there.