My Country First

By Salam D Singh

The India China Youth Exchange programme was a new generation approach to strengthen bilateral relationships and mutual trust between India and China. It was launched in November 2006, when the first batch of 100 youth member delegates from both countries was reciprocally exchanged; this was continued in subsequent years. The long-term objective of the exchange was to promote people-to-people contacts between the two countries in order to boost the exchange of ideas and sharing of knowledge on socio-economic, cultural and developmental aspects. The focus of this book is on the sixth batch of the exchange programme, held from 19th to 29th September 2011. This batch’s visit was considered to be the most historic event in the history of Indo-China diplomatic relations, which was also coincidentally organized on the eve of celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of India and the People’s Republic of China.

The visit was an eye-opener for the Indian delegates who were exposed to a rich and varied spectrum of China’s developmental activities, many of them unique and innovative. These included sports tourism, industrial tourism, the Chinese work ethic, their patriotism, their commitment to the environment and more. The author, an experienced youth development officer, who accompanied the 200 strong delegation to China in 2011, outlines his experiences. He strongly believes that we could learn a lot from China if we can implement many of their innovative schemes. This would help propel our economy on a rapid growth trajectory.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Notion Press
• Release date: Aug 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9789352062294

Book preview

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INTRODUCTION

In the present context of strengthening regional cooperation and building a mutually trustful atmosphere in Asia, India and China always stood in the forefront in the region. Without these two great nations, the history of Asia remains incomplete. The two countries have recorded a long history of civilization since time immemorial. In human history, both countries are believed to be the oldest civilizations in Asia. There is also a long history of exchanges of ideas and cultures between these two great civilizations going back thousands of years.

With the backdrop of these historical facts, the two countries initiated a holistic Youth Exchange programme over the past few years. This exchange programme is one of the most innovative and relevant multilateral diplomatic programmes of India and China. The exchange of young people between the two great Asian nations on a continuous basis is not simply an international event, but it is also considered as the future vision of long-term cooperation between the two neighbours in the 21st century. Therefore, this people-to-people contact programme of the two countries in modern times has been designed by the leaders of both countries with a long-term mutually beneficial regional interest. The brotherly relationship of the common man of both countries is expected to play a great role in bringing closer ties and friendly relations between India and China in the future. By projecting their young citizens as human tools of goodwill, the two countries are putting in all-out efforts for reviving its historical legacies of civilization and also its collaboration for bringing all-round development in the region. The basic purpose of the present exchange programme was to facilitate mutual learning and sharing of experiences on socioeconomic and political development aspects of the two nations through people-to-people contacts. It is a wisely designed programme that is devised through the direct involvement of common people, particularly the youth. It is also considered to be a sincere effort by the two countries for building long-term mutual trust and confidence by sharing knowledge of mutual interest in the fields of all-round progress and development. It is a proven fact that historically, the two nations have been inseparable partners in many areas of learning and exchange of ideas in socioeconomic and cultural development. These two great Asian nations grew together by sharing their socio-cultural legacies since the beginning of human history. Since then, the tradition of sharing many socio-cultural and political aspects between the two nations has always been a continuous process at various levels.

In modern times, the relationship of the two countries was marked by the exchange of ideas and sharing of knowledge during the peak of the freedom struggle movement. It was also around the same time when the countries were struggling for independence under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi in India and Mao Zedong in China. And coincidentally, both countries also got independence around the same time and started the mission of reconstruction of independent self-governance for a modern nation; the Republic of India in 1947 and the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

The first post-independence friendly official visit between the two countries was initiated by India. In 1955, the Indian government sent the first Indian cultural delegation to China. The delegation was led by the then Deputy Minister of External Affairs Mr. A. K. Chanda and was warmly received by the Chinese leaderships and their people. Consequently, Indian Bollywood movies touched an emotional chord in the hearts and minds of the Chinese during the 1960s and 1970s. Among others, some Indian movies in those days such as ‘Do Bigha Zameen’, ‘Awara’ and ‘Sree 420’ starring Raj Kapoor and Noorie became most popular among the Chinese people. Even today, people in China hum the tunes of the songs from these films on the streets. In 1986, a film delegation from India made a goodwill visit to China; following this, both countries started bringing their people together through structured Cultural Exchange Programmes since 1988 onwards.

Realizing the importance of a harmonious relationship between the two great Asian nations in the region, leaders of both countries have carried forward their sincere efforts for promoting people-to-people contacts at different forums. It was desperately required by both countries because of the remarkable progresses made by India and China during the first three decades of independence in many fields, especially in the socioeconomic field, advances in science and technology and the rich cultural heritage of both nations. Therefore an Agreement on Cultural Cooperation was signed in May 1988 in which the broad contours of the India-China cultural cooperation was laid down. Under the agreement, an official forum of the two countries was constituted for Cultural Exchange Programmes (CEP) with an objective to bring closer ties between the two neighbours through frequent arrangement of people-to-people contact programmes.

By strengthening these ties further, India and China had tried to develop closer ties through many symbolic steps with a positive diplomatic approach in the new millennium. In 2003, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had decided to build an Indian-style Buddhist temple in Luoyang, Henan province. It was consequently inaugurated by the President of India Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil during her visit to China in May 2010. In a continuous effort towards closer ties, the Indian government had set up a centre for Indian studies in Peking University in 2003 that was followed by the establishment of the centres of Indian studies in Shenzhen University, Jinan University and Fudan University in China.

In response, the Chinese government constructed the Xuanzhang memorial hall at Nalanda in February 2007 under a Chinese goodwill project and it was inaugurated in the same year. In June 2008, joint stamps of India and China were released. One depicts the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodhgaya and the other depicts the White Horse Temple at Luoyang.

Both India and China have been known for their vibrant cultures and people since ancient times till today. The two countries have always been known for their rich cultural heritage and traditions in which several Asian philosophies are shared. Buddhism, Xuan Zhang, Rabindranath Tagore, Dr. Kotnis, Nalanda University, yoga and cinema are the symbols of our long tradition of exchanges. In fact, they are the proven testimonies of our shared heritage through different ages of civilization.

However, a well-defined India China Youth Exchange programme with broader dimension can be traced back to April 2005 when the Chinese Premier, Mr. WenJiabao visited to India. During the visit, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India and the Premier of the People’s Republic of China decided to launch a regular youth exchange programme between India and China. On 11th April 2005, the two Prime Ministers jointly announced the launching of a regular youth exchange programme between India and China. Further, the two leaders decided to observe 2006 as India China Friendship Year to mark the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and India.

The programme was further reaffirmed by His Excellency Chinese President, Mr. Hu Jintao, on his official visit to India from 20th–23rd November, 2006. During his visit, a joint declaration was made by Indian Prime Minister,

Dr. Manmohan Singh and the visiting Chinese President, Mr. Hu Jintao for further strengthening bilateral relations between the two nations. According to the joint declaration, the two leaders agreed to launch a five-year programme for mutual exchange of youth delegations between the two countries. Subsequently, it was decided to start with the reciprocal exchange of a 100-member youth delegation comprising youth from various walks of life between India and China in the same year to promote mutual understanding and develop better relations among common people of the two oldest civilizations.

Under the reciprocal youth exchange programme, the first batch of 100 members of the Indian Youth Delegation visited China from 8th to 17th October, 2006. In return, 100 members of the Chinese Youth delegation came to India from 20th to 29th November 2006. Since then, in all the subsequent years – 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010 – Indian Youth Delegations of 100 members visited China each year, which was followed by 100 members of the Chinese Youth delegation visiting India. As such, a new era of a holistic approach towards improving friendly ties between the two neighbours on a long-term was established. The new initiative was a sincere and unconditional effort by the two countries towards promoting and strengthening people-to-people contacts for better understanding between them so as to further consolidate our long-standing bilateral relations. . Subsequently, during the visit of Chinese Premier Mr. Wen Jiabao to India from 15th to 17th December, 2010 on an invitation from the Indian Prime Minster Dr. Manmohan Singh, a joint communiqué of India and China was signed by the two leaders; they also declared 2011 as the Year of India China Exchange. The number of delegates of the Exchange Programme was increased from 100 to 500 in that particular year as a symbol of happiness for successful organization of the programme for the last five years. Thus the programme had been expanded remarkably in the 6th year of its implementation by increasing the number of delegates five-fold, and also by the inclusion of various youth personalities from different walks of life into the delegation. The broad objectives of the exchange programme were laid down as follows:

? To bring closer relations between the two countries through interaction of youths of various personalities.

? To strengthen mutual understanding between the two countries through people-to-people contact programme.

? To exchange ideas in respect of social, culture, political and development aspects between the two nations.

The programme was implemented purely on the holistic approach of people-to-people contacts, especially the young people of the two countries. Under the programme, an organized group of young people of various backgrounds of both countries are invited reciprocally as the highest official delegates for 10 days in order to enable them learn and understand each other’s cultures, social lives, economic activities and political issues. At the same time, the visiting delegates of both countries acted as the goodwill ambassadors of their respective countries and conveyed the message of peace, friendship and mutual understanding between the two great nations. They were mobilized from amongst the outstanding personalities of social workers, young politicians, young civil servants, young entrepreneurs, young elected PRI members, youth awardees, students of academic excellence, development workers, National Youth Corps (NYC) and National Service Scheme (NSS) Volunteers, young journalists, folklore and cultural artists, media persons, students of Chinese studies etc. These delegates were selected from across the country, through various government and non-government agencies such as state government establishments, educational institutions, political parties, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and National Service Scheme (NSS) networks, cultural organizations and professional institutions. Special attention was being drawn by the government while selecting the delegates that no discrimination was done on the basis of caste, creed, region, religion and ethnic lines. Moreover, the central government made all possible efforts to include maximum youths from the underprivileged sections of society in the programme who actually needed exposure in order to understand the strategic relations of the great two neighbours in Asia.

These delegates were exposed to different places of interest such as historical sites, development projects, cultural centres, market places, industrial areas, IT parks, urban and rural livelihood activities, etc. In the process, the young delegates of both countries were given an ample opportunity to meet each other and exchange ideas with cross-sections of society. Not only that, they were also given a chance to interact with the highest state and political leaderships of the respective countries.

During the year, various other exchanges also took place on the side lines. An Indian Bollywood Troupe of 20 members mobilized through the Indian Council for Cultural Relation (ICCR) made an extensive tour in China in September 2011as a goodwill mission. It was a collaboration with the Beijing Film Academy in order to promote a Film Festival titled You Don’t Belong across several Chinese cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Kunming, held in November and December of the same year. In order to connect better with the Chinese youth, the Goodwill Mission had also opened an account at the popular micro blogging site, the Sina Weibo, through which over 5000 followers got registered. A flagship Chinese language publication of the Mission, namely the JinriYindu, was launched and within a short span of time, the publication recorded over 20,000 readers. It became very popular among Chinese youth and its popularity continues even today. During the year, the Government of India made all efforts to popularize Chinese language at school level in India and also committed to build a modern international Nalanda University at Rajgir in Bihar with the help of various partners, as desired by the Government of China with their contribution to the project. In this regard, the Nalanda University Governing Board organized its annual meeting in Beijing in October 2011 along with Chinese officials to discuss the project.

The new Culture and Information Wing of the Indian Mission began functioning from January 2011 onwards at the New Chancery Premises. A Kathak dance teacher and a Hindustani classical music teacher joined the Mission on ICCR deputation in 2010 with the objective of exposing various facets of India’s rich cultural heritage to the Chinese. This wing conducts several events every month, including lectures, film/documentary shows, cultural performances, talks, releasing books, etc. related to Indian culture and traditions. A number of Indian artists had performed on private visits or participated directly on invitations from premier Chinese institutions like the Central Conservatory of Music, NCPA and Beijing Dance Academy. The trend of cultural exchange between the two countries increased manifold that year. The wing had also opened a library with around 3,000 reference books on Indian subjects. In this way, the momentum of friendship between the great two Asian neighbours reached new heights and flow of people-to-people exchanges increased both at the individual and group level.

A Historic Declaration Year of India-China Exchange 2011

On 16th December 2010, a Summit was held at New Delhi between the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and the Indian Prime Minster Dr. Manmohan Singh. During the Summit, the two leaders discussed various aspects of bilateral relations and international issues of mutual interest. Both sides had also jointly reviewed various programmes to be organized related with the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Along with these issues, the two leaders further decided to encourage more exchanges between civil society organizations, youth, media persons, scholars, think tanks, artists and cultural personalities of their respective countries. In the larger interest of both countries, they had agreed to continue the youth exchange programmes in the next consecutive five years in order to strengthen the platform of people-to-people contacts and develop mutual understanding to the maximum at the grassroots level. Therefore, both leaders jointly declared 2011 as the YEAR OF INDIA-CHINA EXCHANGE. Among other important issues, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on media exchanges as well as a programme of cultural exchanges between the two governments from 2010 to 2012 were also signed at the summit. The said MoU recognized the necessity for compiling an encyclopaedia on India-China cultural contacts, the importance of educational exchanges including promotion of wider knowledge of each other’s languages for the larger benefit of the common people of both the countries. It also underlined the need for promoting a socio-cultural and economic relationship between the two nations.

Subsequent upon the agreement, the Central Board of Education (CBSE) of India decided to introduce Chinese as a foreign language in the curriculum of schools in India from the academic session of April 2011. The decision was welcomed by the Chinese government and hence they offered all their support for the training of Chinese language teacher by providing Chinese language training materials to India. The two sides also declared the establishment of the "India