China will hold commemorative events to mark the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. 

• The theme of the ceremony is “From the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence to Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind”.

Historical Context

• Indian Independence: India gained Independence from British rule in 1947 after a prolonged nationalist struggle.
• Establishment of the People’s Republic of China:  In 1949, the Chinese communists won the civil war, leading to Mao Zedong’s establishment of the People’s Republic of China.
• Nehru’s Diplomatic Vision: The then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru aimed to build strong, trust-based relations with China.
  • Initially, China appeared to reciprocate Nehru’s approach of mutual respect and cooperation.

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Background about the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence/Panchsheel

• Origin: It is a foreign policy that was first proposed in the Sino-Indian Agreement of 1954.
• Known as: It is known as the “Five Principles” in China and called the “Panchsheel” in India.
• Origin of Panchsheel: The term ‘Panchsheel’ originates from the Buddhist concept of Pañcaśīla. Pañcaśīla outlines the five moral vows in Buddhism:
  • Abstinence from Murder.
  • Abstinence from Theft.
  • Abstinence from Sexual Misconduct.
  • Abstinence from Lying.
  • Abstinence from Intoxicants.
• 1954 Bilateral Talks Inaugurated:
  • Talks over Tibet: Bilateral talks between India and China over Tibet were inaugurated in 1954.
  • Proposal of Panchsheel: Proposals by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai proposed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence during these talks.
    • The proposal was favoured by Prime Minister Nehru.

Panchsheel, The Five Principles

• About: The Panchsheel Agreement, formally known as The Agreement on Trade and Intercourse with Tibet Region, was signed on April 29, 1954, by N Raghavan, the Indian Ambassador to China, and Zhang Han-Fu, China’s Foreign Minister.
• Five Guiding Principles: The preamble of the Panchsheel Treaty lay down five guiding principles: 
  • Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty
  • Mutual non-aggression
  • Mutual non-interference
  • Equality and mutual benefit
  • Peaceful co-existence.
• Aim of the Agreement: 
  • To enhance trade and cooperation between the two countries, 
  • Establish each country’s trade centres in major cities of the other, 
  • Lay out a framework for trade,
  • The agreement also listed important religious pilgrimages, provisions for pilgrims, and acceptable routes and passes available to them.
• Significance of the Agreement: India for the first time recognised Tibet as the Tibet Region of China.

Panchsheel to Non-Alignment

• The incorporation of Panchsheel’s principles into the 1955 Bandung Conference laid the foundation for the Non-Aligned Movement, which emerged as a collective stance of countries committed to maintaining independence from the major global power blocs of the Cold War.
• Panchsheel and the Bandung Conference:
  • A year after the Sino-Indian Agreement, the Five Principles were highlighted at the first African-Asian Conference in Bandung, Indonesia.
    • The Bandung Conference took place in April 1955 with the participation of 29 Asian and African countries.
    • The participating countries signed a 10-point declaration that co-opted theFive Principles of Panchsheel.
• Precursor to Non-Aligned Movement (NAM):
  • The Bandung Conference served as the precursor to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
    • NAM was formed by nations choosing not to align with either of the two global power blocs led by the United States and the Soviet Union. 
    • NAM was founded with the signing of the Brioni (Brijuni) Declaration on July 19, 1956.
    • The declaration was signed by India’s Prime Minister Nehru, Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser, and Yugoslavia’s Prime Minister Josip Broz Tito.
    • The Brioni Islands are in the northern Adriatic Sea, and now a part of Croatia.
• NAM Summit in Belgrade:
  • The first NAM Summit in Belgrade accepted Panchsheel as the “principled core” of the Non-Aligned Movement. 

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China’s Foreign Policy Today

• India-China War of 1962:  Panchsheel was envisioned to promote peaceful coexistence between India and China. However, the India-China War of 1962 significantly undermined this agreement.
  • Critics argue that Nehru was naive and misjudged Chinese intentions, mishandling disagreements with Beijing.
• China’s Economic Growth: Over the past three decades, China has experienced remarkable economic growth.
• China’s Aggressive Foreign Policy: Under President Xi, China has adopted an increasingly aggressive foreign policy.
  • China has made territorial claims in the South China Sea.
  • It has engineered hostile situations with smaller neighbouring countries to its east and southeast.
  • China’s Relationship with the United States:
    • Hostile relationship: China’s relationship with the United States has been hostile and China has posed a trade and diplomatic challenge to American dominance in various parts of the world.
  • India and China:
    • Standoff at LAC: Since the summer of 2020, Indian and Chinese forces have been engaged in a standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.
    • Failed Negotiations: Repeated meetings at multiple levels have not led to a substantive breakthrough in resolving the standoff.