Managing Mutual Mistrust: Understanding Chinese Perspectives on Sino-Indian Relations

China and India, as two of the world's most rapidly growing economies, wield increasing influence on international politics. To what extent these two Asian powers will be able to manage their bilateral disputes and to deepen cooperation in the coming decades is likely to have regional and global implications. While both China and India could benefit from promoting their common interests, their relationship continues to a great extent to be characterised by mutual suspicion which has yet to be successfully addressed. Both academic research and media reports have a strong tendency to portray the Sino-Indian relationship from India's horizon. In order to improve the understanding of Chinese perspectives and identify ways in which the relationship may develop, this study revolves around key areas of bilateral friction as highlighted by Chinese experts on India. The study finds that India still garners limited interest in China's strategic considerations. Chinese scholars generally emphasise the positive aspects of bilateral relations and tend to downplay tensions with India, while Indian analysts perceives China's rise with concern. The study argues that there is a general lack of Chinese support for institutionalised efforts to dispel the mutual mistrust and resolve disputes, and therefore that a normalisation of relations is unlikely in the near term.