Panchsheel Agreement

The Panchsheel Agreement, also known as the Panchsheel Treaty is a set of principles intended to govern the relations between states. This agreement was initially signed between China and India back in 1954 on the 29th day of April. Agreeing to respect each other's territorial unity, sovereignty and integrity by not interfering in each other’s internal affairs. However, with passing time, the Panchsheel was subsequently adopted in various resolutions and statements around the world. It was even included in the preamble of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China. 

What is Panchsheel Pact?

The Panchsheel Pact or the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence, that constitutes the Panchsheel Agreement 1954, are:

1. Mutual respect for one another’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,

2. Mutual non-aggression,

3. Mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs,

4. Equality and Mutual benefit

5. Peaceful co-existence

History of Panchsheel

The Panchsheel Agreement, ever since its formulation and adoption, has served as one of the most influential relationships builds between India and China. It even renounces economic and security cooperation between the two countries. Further, there was an underlying assumption of this treaty as well. Which stated that the treaty would help the newly independent states to acquire a new and more principled approach while dealing with international relations. 

According to reliable sources, the principles of Panchsheel were first publicly expressed by Premier Zhou Enlai. Back in 1953 on 31st December while receiving the Indian delegation to the Tibetan trade talks, Zhou announced this treaty, addressing them as “the five principles governing China’s relationship with other countries”. This was afterwards reiterated by the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Premier Zhou Enlai in a joint statement in Delhi on 18 June 1954. This broadcast speech was done just a few days after signing the Sino-Indian treaty in Beijing, at the time of the Asian Prime Ministers Conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

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Image: Panchsheel Principle

Nehru even said that if these principles are acknowledged by all the countries across the globe, in their mutual relationships, there would hardly be any conflict and certainly no war.

It was stated that these principles had partly originated from the five general principles or Pancasila of the Indonesian state.

After a certain time, these five principles were modified into ten and were presented as a combined statement issued in April 1955 at the historic Asian-African Conference in Bandung, Indonesia. This combined statement presented a thought that post-colonial states had something special to offer the world. Following, a resolution on peaceful co-existence was also collectively adopted in 1957 by the United Nations General Assembly which was jointly presented by India, Yugoslavia, and Sweden. With passing time, as these principles were being adopted by Colombo and others, they formed the basis of the Non-Aligned Movement, established in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1961.

China has frequently highlighted its solid alliance with the Five Principles. They even had put these principles forward while beginning the negotiation related to the disputed territories of Aksai Chin. Which is identify as South Tibet by China and Arunachal Pradesh by Indian. This negotiation took place in Delhi between the Delegation of the PRC Government and the Delegation of the Indian Government from December 1953 to April 1954. 

The above agreement was set to last for about eight years. However, when it lapsed the relations between the two countries were already souring which led to the Sino-Indian War. After which the provision for renewal of the agreement was not taken up. 

In 1979, when then India's Foreign Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, travelled to China the agreement found its name ‘Panchsheel’ while conversing with the Chinese. Thereafter on the 50th anniversary of the treaty, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC suggests “a fresh international agreement based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence should be built”.  

After 25 years of the same, the then Premier Wen Jiabao affirmed that it is because of these five principles that China has not only been able to built and developed diplomatic relations with 165 countries but also carry out trade, economic, technological, and cultural exchanges and cooperation with over 200 countries and regions. He even stated that on the basis of these principles China was able to peacefully negotiate while resolving boundary issues with most neighbours and maintained peace and stability with its surrounding areas.

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In June 2014, China even wholeheartedly welcomed, then Vice President of India Hamid Ansari for the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the signing Panchsheel Treaty into the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Later after, in 2017, China stated that they are ready to seek guidance from the principles of Panchsheel and work with India. 

Need of Panchsheel Treaty

In order to seek independent survival and development, in line with the global trend of peaceful coexistence between the nations having different ideological and social systems, the amendment of the Panchsheel Treaty was much needed. It supports the common aspiration of relevant countries willing to resolve disputes or historical issues in a peaceful manner. 

Essentially built in accordance with the spirit of the UN Charter while supporting the interest of the developing countries, the principles were widely accepted by the international community. And were also adopted in various series of bilateral and multilateral agreements by the international community. 

Impact of Panchsheel Treaty

Apart from this, the need and impact of Panchsheel can be seen from the below-mentioned incidents.

With millions to feed, the two most ancient civilizations, India and China wanted to revive the glorious past. To overcome the aftermath of the border conflict of 1962, both countries reached out to each other.  It was the above-mentioned Treaty that helped them to sort their differences to a great extent, peacefully. While addressing the disputes and differences with the help of diplomatic channels, and facilitating conditions for a new inter-relationship between the country, the two nations established the Strategic Cooperative and Partnership Relations in 2005. This aimed to promote common interests and realizing the common prosperity of both countries.

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Haven destined to share the fate of the community, the post-financial crisis era warned two countries to address the historical and economic issues effectively. This compelled them to take stock of each other's potential, push for closer political and economic cooperation and realize a peaceful and cooperative development on the basis of the Panchsheel Treaty.