Panchsheel Agreement: Meaning, Significance, UPSC Notes | Panchsheel Principles

What is Panchsheel Agreement?

The Panchsheel Agreement is a pact of “Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.” The first formal declaration of these concepts was an Agreement on Trade and Commerce between India and China’s Tibet region, signed on 29th April 1954.

The 5 principles of Panchsheel Agreement are as follows:

1. Mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty
2. Mutual non-interference
3. Equality & mutual benefit
4. Mutual non-aggression
5. Peaceful coexistence

Background of the Panchsheel Agreement

The Panchsheel Agreement functioned as the foundation of relations between India and China. The five principles of Panchsheel established the underlying premise that newly independent states would have a more realistic perspective on global politics after colonisation. Moreover, it would advance mutual security, which comes with economic cooperation.

After completing the Sino-Indian Agreement at the centre of Beijing, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru & Premier Zhou Enlai delivered a broadcast presentation emphasising the five pillars of the Panchsheel Agreement at the Asian Prime Ministers Conference in Colombo.

A statement of 10 principles based on the original five ideas was later published in April 1955 during the historic Asian-African Conference in Bandung, Indonesia. The conference would eventually lead to the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement, which gave substance to the notion that the two conflicting Cold War camps might benefit from the post-colonial nations.

Starting the discussions between India and China that took place in Delhi between December 1953 to April 1954, the two delegations emphasised the Panchsheel Agreement. The disputed areas of Aksai Chin, what China calls South Tiberian, with India’s Arunachal Pradesh, were the focus of the conversations. The length of the 29th April 1954 arrangement was eight years.

When it ended, the two parties’ connection had deteriorated, rendering the chances of its renewal slim. Moreover, the 1962 beginning of the Sino-Indian War would cause significant pressure on the Panchsheel Agreement over the following decades.

There has been a proposal that the five principles of Panchsheel may have been partially derived from the principles of the Indonesian state. Sukarno, the nationalistic leader in Indonesia, established the five guiding principles, or Pancasila, in June 1945, on which subsequent organizations were to be built. In 1949, Indonesia achieved independence.

Panchsheel Principles

The Panchsheel principles include regard for the other’s sovereignty and respect for national integrity, friendly non-aggression, cooperative non-interference in internal matters, justice and cooperation for the mutual advantage that has been gained, and peaceful coexistence.

The agreement includes “Asia for Asians” and “India-China Bhai Bhai.” China and India have significantly improved their relations since the Panchsheel agreement was signed.

Panchsheel Agreement Vision and Mission

Five foundational pillars were outlined in the Panchsheel agreement, which governed the relationship between India and China. The accord was reached in 1954 between Zhou Enlai, the chancellor of China, and Jawaharlal Nehru, the very known prime minister of India.

Cohabitation in peace, equality, cooperation, mutual non-interference in each other’s domestic matters, and mutual respect for the other person’s territorial and sovereignty integrity have been the five core principles of the Panchsheel agreement.

The Panchsheel agreement failed to stop the war that could have been started, yet it is still an important symbol of India-China ties. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Jiang Zemin reaffirmed their commitment to the five pillars at a summit meeting in Delhi in 2003.

Prior to the settlement, tensions between the two nations, which had been engaged in a border dispute since the early 1950s, were believed to be at an all-time peak. But during the late 1950s and early 1960s, ties between India and China rapidly deteriorated, culminating in the 1962 Sino-Indian War.

The Panchsheel agreement has received renewed attention lately as a way to improve ties between China and India. During a 2013 visit to India, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proposed the creation of a “new type of relationship” based on the five characteristics. The Panchsheel Agreement’s significance in shaping the relationship between India and China has also been highlighted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Examining the Panchsheel Agreement

China agreed with several reservations, and India exhibited an inconsistent and contradictory stance by accepting the fundamentals with few objections. Consequently, the five decades without the need for war are attributed mainly to the knowledge of the high cost of war rather than a wish for peace.

Battle in the Dokhlam River back in 2014 and the invasions in Ladakh in 2020, it has recently been widely theorised by military analysts in India that it is time to move beyond the Panchsheel concepts that have been made. Doing so would be favourable for both nations.

Whenever the Dalai Lama and his followers were given sanctuary in India based on humanitarian grounds, the Panchsheel treaty began to fall apart. According to China, this flagrantly violates the first of the five Agreement principles, which is mutual non-interference in each other’s domestic matters.

In a presentation at the Rajya Sabha near his house, Bhim Rao Ambedkar questioned how sincerely the Chinese embraced the Panchsheel principles, given that perhaps the Principle of peaceful coexistence was violated after China conquered Tibet.

Besides previous conflicts, India has adopted a proactive and aggressive stance in Doklam and Ladakh. India’s recently discovered assertiveness has China rushing for a gambit. The application of reconciliation should not be selective or sly, even though it is undoubtedly the most excellent method to end the current fight that has been started.

Limitations of Panchsheel Agreement

The Panchsheel agreement between China and India has the following limitations:

• China has almost always used this situation as a weapon against India in every possible way.
• The agreement had a six-year lifetime. Thus, it is a testament to China’s political insightfulness that they waited off on conquering India until the agreement had ended and had not been extended.
• Promoting the concept of Panchsheel as a different ideology that helps the poor and disadvantaged in today’s society isn’t longer appropriate.
• The Accord’s prologue set lofty goals to include non-interference in one the other’s affairs as well as peaceful resolving disputes.
• It is important to remember that Panchsheel is a fundamental concept that can be applied to both rich and impoverished nations.
• Panchsheel was never renewed once it lapsed. It is one of the primary disadvantages that they face. India’s development priorities will determine how something interacts with the rest of the planet.

Did China comply with Panchsheel Policy?

After accepting the five principles of Panchsheel, China attempted to breach these by pressing for its territorial rights over Bara Hoti in Uttarakhand.

• The construction of highways, territorial disputes, and intrusions even by the Chinese continued throughout the second half of the 1950s.
• The border between the two countries that signed the Panchsheel treaty has not been adequately defined, strengthening Chinese assertions.
• Yet, it must be noted that old customs and practices, including inherited treaties, were primarily in India’s favour.
• China similarly blocked India’s efforts to settle the border disputes through bilateral talks.
• Another violation of the rules was the real beginning of the year 1962 War.
• The Colombo Conference, convened by six non-aligned countries to address the India-China border dispute, was generated in Colombo Resolutions.
• Although China agreed with several reservations, India showed an uneven and contradictory attitude by accepting the Panchsheel principles with very few objections.
• So, rather than having been driven by a wish for peace, the five decades without the need for war are ascribed to the awareness of the high cost of war.

Why does China recently link to Panchsheel?

In contrast to previous confrontations, India has taken a proactive and aggressive stance in the Doklam area.

• India’s renewed assertiveness has China racing for a response.
• The application of peace should not be selective or sly, even though it is the best method to stop the conflict.

Significance of Panchsheel Agreement

The Panchsheel agreement between India and China Peace Accords was a bold step toward improving India-China commercial and political relations.

• Since the Panchsheel has achieved broader recognition, nearly every one of China’s treaties or treaty obligations with more than 160 nations refers to it.
• It is universally recognized as the foundation for establishing a proper and fair global order, particularly throughout Asian countries.
• The five principles of Panchsheel essentially reflected the preferences and interests of developing nations but were consistent with the spirit of the United Nations Charter.
• They also were expressly acknowledged & recognized in the Proclamation on International Law Principles Concerning Friendly Cooperation and Relations in conformity with United Nations Charter, approved by the 25th UNGA in 1970.
• The Statement on Establishing a New Global Economic Order issued by the 6th Special UNGA in 1974 also affirmed the Related works Principle.
• The five Panchsheel principles have proven helpful over the past 60 years by holding up to the test of shifting global conditions.
• The ethos persisted in reflecting global events, making an appearance in the role of developing countries in the North-South dialogue and other organizations.

Panchsheel Agreement UPSC

In India’s history, the Panchsheel agreement was indeed an important document. It set the stage for India as well as China’s closer cooperation. It is an important topic from the UPSC syllabus; thus, aspirants must study Panchsheel agreement UPSC in detail for outstanding preparation for the Prelims & Mains exams.

Panchsheel UPSC Questions

Q.1. Which two nations formed the Panchsheel Treaty?

1. The United States and the Soviet Union
2. China and India
3. China and the Soviet Union
4. India and the United States

Answer. B

Q.2. At the time of the Panchsheel Treaty, who was India’s prime minister?

1. Jawaharlal Nehru
2. Mahatma Gandhi
3. Indira Gandhi
4. Narendra Modi

Answer. A