Hindi-Chini, how to be good frenemies

India, China. However you roll the two words - and no matter that the two 'celebrated' 75 years of diplomatic ties last week - you can hear the friction. That's understandable. One war, border conflicts, economic asymmetry, different systems of administration, opposite corners in the ring.... But an 'accident of geography' compels both nations to pursue, in foreign secretary Vikram Misri's recent words, ties based on 'mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interest'. Operative word, in case one fails to notice, mutual. Separated by a nearly 2,000 km border that remains unsettled in parts, coexistence and cooperation is tricky. More so as India continues to charge China of illegal occupation of nearly 40,000 sq km of Aksai Chin. Question is: does one stick to this kind of thing and nothing else?

The two countries classified as advanced developing countries - China, an upper-middle income country, India, a low-middle income one - often negotiate together in multilateral fora. But geopolitics and geoeconomics put India and China in different corners. New Delhi and Beijing are unlikely to be ever 'bhai-bhai'. But both countries can benefit maintaining a 'cousinly' stability. It's in their mutual interest to draw on the civilisational relationship to create avenues of engagement that can serve as stabilisers.

There will be moments of common cause, despite their world views being inherently different. As India's global engagements intensify, so will China's overtures for influence in South Asia and beyond. Stability with Beijing should give New Delhi the space to strengthen its ties with countries in the region and beyond, creating an alternate path to progress. After all, we are the two most populous countries on the planet.