China & India Gear Up For High-Level Meeting

Despite the fact that bilateral trade between China and India has increased significantly in recent years, their border conflicts still dog diplomatic relations.

Arunachal Pradesh has become the most controversial issue over the last few months. Tibet ceded this area to British India in 1914, but China says it did not have the authority to do this.

So far, the two countries have held 13 rounds of border talks, including on Aksai Chin in Kashmir, but to little avail.

China and India “know how to tease each other”

Christian Wagner, a German expert on the region, was not too fussed, explaining that the two sides “know how to tease each other. There have been various instances in the past: the Chinese authorities have complained about Indian officials travelling to the disputed parts from the Chinese perspective for example.”

“And India claims that Arunachal Pradesh is a part of the Indian Union so I would see it as one of the normal problems that the two countries share.”

But Manmohan Singh recently ignited this decade-old border dispute when he paid a visit to the state, angering the Chinese authorities. Beijing is also displeased by the fact that the Indian government has agreed to the Dalai Lama going to the state’s Tawang Monastery next month.

China wants to convey an important message to India

Former Indian Foreign Secretary Shashank said it was clear that the upcoming meeting between the Indian and Chinese prime ministers in Thailand was very significant: “It seems to have been requested by the Chinese prime minister.”

“Therefore it seems he wants to convey some important message to Dr Manmohan Singh about the visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Tawang Monastery. They would like India to put more constraints on the Tibetan refugees in India and especially on the Dalai Lama.“

But he added that Singh would be in a fix:”India is very keen to carry out a successful dialogue with China but at the same time it would really find it difficult to say no to the Dalai Lama. So it will really be up to the Dalai Lama whether he withdraws his request on his own. If he doesn't withdraw it then India will find it very inconvenient, having said yes, to appear to succumb to Chinese pressure tactics.”

Compromise may be found in near future

“The interesting point,” said Christian Wagner, “is that the Indian government has normally not used the Tibetan community as a weapon or as a strategic resource in its relations towards China.”

“India did of course give asylum to the Tibetan community and the Dalai Lama after their flight from Tibet; but it would also have been counterproductive for the Indian government to somehow support such a group to create turmoil in the neighbouring country.”

Experts think that a pragmatic compromise solution to the protracted border conflicts might soon be found -- for example, by simply legalising the status quo: China would then accept Arunachal Pradesh as part of India, and India would officially cede the Aksai Chin region to China.

Author: Debarati Mukherjee
Editor: Thomas Bärthlein