EVENTS

Abstract

As nation states based on ancient civilizations, both China and India have too much historical burdens and a strong national pride which coupled with geopolitical and historical factors of territorial disputes, resulting in an uneasy relationship and a lack of trust between each other.Since 2003, the bilateral relations have entered a new stage of overall development. While the competitive relations may very well continue to set the dominant tone in security area, there has been a substantial increase of cooperation in other areas such as economic relations, cultural and educational exchanges and regional and international affairs. The presentation will focus on the period from 2003 to 2012, and try to give an explanation of the current bilateral relations within a constructivist framework by using the conceptual tools, national interest and national identity.

About the Speaker

Lu Yang is currently a visiting scholar at the Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She is on the verge of completing her PhD on India-China relations, and works as a research assistant in the political science department in the South Asia Institute at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. She holds B.A. in Music Education from China, and M.A. in Political Science and Cultural Anthropology from Germany. Her M.A. thesis is on India-China border dispute and negotiations. She was a fellow of Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, and was a research assistant funded by German Academy Exchange Service (DAAD). Her research areas include constructivism, role theory, negotiation theory, multilateral cooperation, foreign policy analysis, strategic culture, with a focus on India and China.