ABSTRACT
It has become a cliche´ to observe that the 20th-century trans-Atlantic global focus is shifting in 21st century towards Asia. In this context, India and China are two rising countries in Asia, apart from Japan. Both India and China have huge landmass, highly populated but under-developed in most indicators. Nearly 2.5 billion people or about 37 per cent of global population live in China and India. Both countries account for nearly 7 per cent of global GDP (with China’s share of more than 5 per cent). Growth rates in China averaged about 9 per cent in the last decade while in India it stood at about 6 per cent.1 These profiles make both China and India part of a major global attention. Both also have commonalities that provide for similar national strategies to follow. Both of them also have differences on several issues that potentially derail peace and stability in Asia and beyond, if these differences are not properly addressed.
