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China and India are both major powers and their bilateral relationship is complex and multilayered. In India, although hardline and hostile voices against China at times take a dominant position, rational voices have always existed. Recently, Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) chairman Sam Pitroda said India should not view China as an "enemy," as "confrontational attitude creates enemies." What Pitroda was expressing is a classic assertion in international relations known as the "self-fulfilling prophecy." If you regard a country as an enemy, you will ultimately end up with one. In fact, over the past few years, while there have been many unfriendly voices against China in mainstream Indian media, rational viewpoints have also frequently emerged. In June 2024, mainstream Indian media reported that escalating tensions with China had cost Indian electronics manufacturers $15 billion in production losses as well as 100,000 jobs in the past four years. This served as a call to the Indian government to improve relations with China, especially in terms of economic and trade relations.

There are different attitudes within India toward these rational voices. Pitroda is known in India for his outspoken views and has made what many consider as "inopportune" remarks. This time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will not miss the opportunity to attack him. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi stated that "it is a blow to India's prestige," claiming it appears from Pitroda's comments that as if India is the aggressor. Trivedi also attempted to use this to undermine the image of the Indian National Congress (INC). INC General Secretary Jairam Ramesh had to quickly distance the party from Pitroda's views, stating that Pitroda's remarks did not reflect the official stance of the INC, and that "China remains a major foreign policy, security, and economic challenge for India." These statements indicate that there is a rising trend of voices in India advocating for cooperation and friendship with China, but hostility toward China and concerns within the public opinion still exist. 

Pitroda's views and the reactions they provoked reflect an important fact: India's mind-set toward China must be adjusted. India shouldn't fall into the trap of its own hostile rhetoric against China, which would harm China-India relations and, in turn, damage India's own interests. China and India are major powers and neighbors, and it is normal for them to have a relationship that includes competition, cooperation, and confrontation. The primary mission of a nation is to maintain its own security and survival, which requires a bottom-line mindset and preparation for the worst-case scenarios. Theoretically, China is India's largest neighbor, and there are indeed some historical and current disputes between China and India. It is also normal that there are some unfriendly voices against China within India.

However, there is a division of labor among different departments within a country. Within any country, there are departments dedicated to international cooperation, departments pursuing national interests, and departments serving bottom-line thinking. The need for a country to have bottom-line thinking does not mean that it must handle all affairs with others solely from that perspective. In times of peace, no single department or function should monopolize foreign policy. This has actually been the biggest problem in India's past understanding of its policy toward China. India's past singular and absolute view of China and its approach of defining the entire China-India relationship through border disputes don't  align with the reality that China-India relations are complex and diverse.

In both China and India, there are departments that serve the purpose of bottom-line thinking, which must always be prepared for the worst possible scenarios, even during periods of friendly cooperation between the two countries. However, the China-India relationship is not in a state of war, and the worst-case scenarios are often the least likely to occur; they should not easily dictate a country's foreign behavior. Otherwise, this would not be "self-fulfilling," but rather "self-destructive." The daily interactions between China and India, from economic and trade relations to people-to-people exchanges, should proceed according to normal conditions and should not fall into a decision-making deadlock of seeking imaginary enemies and responding to them.

In today's world, the international order, international landscape, and international system are all facing significant tests and challenges. As rising powers, the worst choice for China and India would be to be adversarial toward each other, as this would weaken both countries' ability to respond to any changes.

Therefore, India must rationally view domestic rational voices toward China. Rational voices are often voices that are truly beneficial to one's own country. India is a diverse country, and cultural diversity is India's reality and an important source of power for India's development. Many outstanding entrepreneurs and scientists in India come from minority groups and have made great contributions to India. Only in a diverse and inclusive political and cultural environment can a small number of elites find space to play their role.

We must also look rationally at some irrational voices in India. Some so-called irrational voices are often partially rational voices, emanating from departments and people who pay attention to bottom-line thinking. In addition, we cannot interpret some irrational voices in India as all voices in India, although these voices can seem powerful at times. But those who are silent are often the majority. There is no need for strategic confrontation between China and India. Exchanges and cooperation between China and India are the best choice for both countries. Of course, to achieve the optimal choice, China and India need multiple complex cooperation and competition to establish sufficient strategic mutual trust so as to provide the possibilities for the optimal choice.

In short, with the simultaneous rise of China and India, the national interests of the two countries will become more and more relevant to the stability of world order, and there will be more and more global issues that China and India need to jointly solve. Only by looking at China-India relations beyond bilateral differences, border disputes and other sensitive issues, and creating conditions for normal exchanges between the two countries, can we find a way for China and India to get along as they should.

The author is director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn