Towards a Common Future

Sudheendra Kulkarni

The Think Tank & Media Forum on Global Economic Development is taking place at a time when China is in the midst of the Two Sessions: China’s most important annual political event, namely, the Fourth Session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Fourth Session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Important issues concerning the Chinese economy and society are being discussed at the Two Sessions. As an Indian, I wish all success to these deliberations.

The world has just begun to emerge out of the dark shadows of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was the worst public health crisis in recent memory of most nations in the world. It also precipitated one of the worst economic crises for the global economy and also almost all the economies in the world. Given the scale and global spread of the humanitarian adversity, there ought to have been much greater and closer international cooperation among nations—especially big nations—to fight the pandemic. Sadly, national differences, disputes and prejudices stood in the way.

It is commendable that both India and China have helped many countries around the world with vaccines. But India and China should have cooperated more in vaccine research, manufacturing, and distribution.

I am delighted at the positive comments made by Wang Yi, China’s State Councillor and foreign minister, about India-China relations. At his annual press conference during the Fourth Session of the 13th NPC, he said, “The China-India relationship is essentially about how the wor