EVENTS

 Background on the China Symposia

India and China are large and populous neighbours, with each country having a long history and a rich civilisational heritage. During the first millennium A.D., there was considerable trade and cultural interflow between the two civilisations, the legacies of which are to be found in the art, science, poetry and literature of the two countries. But today, this historical memory has faded, and modern Indians know very little about China.  The discourse on China in the popular media tends to be both limited and polarised around the security and geopolitical issues on which there are divergent perspectives. At a time when both nations -- with a joint population of nearly 3 billion  -- are powerful actors rising on the world stage, such mutual ignorance can lead--at best--to missed opportunities for common prosperity, and at worst, to conflict born out of misunderstanding and misapprehension. It is thus of vital importance to develop a broader and deeper multi-dimensional understanding of China within a broad range of opinion-leaders in India, particularly amongst the younger generation (and likewise in China).

 "The China Symposia" developed jointly by the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi  and Ananta Centre, New Delhi, was launched in 2015 aiming to generate a broader and deeper multi-dimensional understanding of China. Consisting of a series of one and a half an hour long sessions spread over a period of six months followed by a Round Table discussion, the programme was designed to address key questions about China that arise amongst many of us, but are rarely discussed in depth.  Panels of experts from both India and China were mobilized to initiate un-depth discussions, with the aim of both informing and providing new insights and also provoking general interest and curiosity in the themes selected.

In the first season 2015-2016, the three symposia explored the dynamic regional and global context of India- China relations, and the changing Chinese domestic situation. The second session (2016-2017) of China Symposia looked at the broader issues arising out of China's polity and economy along with its social structure and education strategy. Questions of identity and ethnicity in China, the evolution of society and politics in China and the impact of demography, education and finally the course of Chinese politics, its alternative "China Model" and its likely impact on the world were the discussed issues in the conference.

This session of China Symposia titled as “India and China as Rising Powers in the World Order: Influences of History and Culture” is organised in Kolkata on 14 September 2017 in collaboration with School of International Relations and Strategic Studies (SIRSS), Jadavpur University, Kolkata. As rising powers on the world stage, India and China share many similarities as well as differences. The history and culture of each country has influenced not only its own destiny, but that of the other, and will continue to do so. This Seminar unravels this complex web of influences, to reveal the many levels of inter-connection between India and China. This should contribute—the organisers hope--to the fuller understanding as well as evolution of the India-China relationship.