China-India relations little impacted by Obama's visit

US President Barack Obama is probably one of the most high-profile guests ever attending the Republic Day Parade in India, but his presence there this time is not expected to significantly impact the longstanding China-India relations.

While many went as far as interpreting his presence there as a symbol of closer friendship between Washington and New Delhi, a few, with their minds locked on the much-hyped myth of "unavoidable confrontation" between China and the United States, went further as to speculate the underlying impact of the Obama trip on China-India relations.

They say the United States intends to turn itself into a vantage point for its dealings with China by wooing India.

Just as it is up to Indians to decide if such an opinion sounds flattering or demeaning, it is mostly up to the two Asian neighbors to decide the fate of their bilateral relations.

China and India do have their differences, with the most outstanding ones in relation to their border disputes.

However, aside from China's repeated declaration of its intention to settle border disputes with India peacefully at an early date, there are other cases in point that could serve as testament of growing rapport between Beijing and New Delhi, with the latest being joint new year celebrations by the two sides at a bordering area on Jan. 1.

The year 2014 witnessed probably the most frequent exchange of high-level visits between the two neighbors in nearly 60 years, culminated in a state visit to India by Chinese President Xi Jinping in mid September.

Optimism for bilateral ties started to become effusive in May 2013, when Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited India as the first stop of his maiden trip abroad after taking office.

The world's two most populous nations and also two largest emerging economies, despite their differences, share mutual benefits in so many different ways, making them natural partners in many different areas.

Hailed as global factories and global service providers respectively, China and India enjoy great economic potential for cooperation in investment, financial services and high technologies.

Both being members of the five-nation bloc of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), China and India can cooperate and coordinate closely within regional frameworks to accelerate economic development and jointly strive for a larger say for emerging economies in global bodies that have been dominated by developed economies since their establishment.

The two neighbors could also watch each other's back in the global political arena, as they share common interests or have similar stance over a bunch of major issues.

For all that, the ongoing Obama trip in India may succeed in propelling the U.S.-India relationship forward, it could hardly change the ground reality that India also needs China as a crucial cooperation partner.