India-China border stand-off continues where it has been for the past 50 years
despite Chinese and Indian political leadership visiting and signing many
agreements. The last few months have witnessed an increase in incursions by
Chinese military into western, middle and eastern sectors of India. The Indian
political leadership attributes such incidents to difference of perception
between India and China over the Line of Actual Control. This timidity
emboldens China to enter again anytime anywhere and stake claim to the area.
Regular political, diplomatic, and military talks about initiating confidence-building
measures over the last three decades have delivered only pious advisories for
India and many giveaways to China.
Ever since 1959, Beijing has questioned the legitimacy of
the Indian perception of border in Ladakh in the western sector and Arunachal in
the eastern sector while middle sector remained relatively calm except for the
recent incursion in Barahoti area. China has constructed an all-weather
high-altitude 1,200 km long road through strategically important Aksai Chin
(western sector) that links Tibet with Sinkiang. China does not recognize the
British demarcated McMahon Line, which delineates the border between Arunachal
Pradesh and Tibet. China annexed Tibet in 1949 and India accorded acceptance in
2003.
Apart from raising field disputes, Beijing plays mind games
with equal felicity. Just before the India visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao
in November 2006, China described Arunachal Pradesh as Southern Tibet and
staked claim to entire area. Similarly, the visit by Premier Li Kequing was vitiated
by the armed face off lasting three weeks in Ladakh this April. Disparaging
words from Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) preceded the visit by Indian
defense minister A.K.Anthony to China two months back.
While claiming an area, whether in the east or west, China
cautions India to maintain peace and tranquility at the border. Has not time
come for India to adopt a more active China policy for resolving the 4,000 km
border (According to China the length of the border only 1600 km)?
China has also begun to nail India using Tibetan plateau as
of strategic significance. Many rivers flowing into different countries
originate there. Water table in the dry and cold north and east China has
reportedly sunk to uneconomic levels. By building dams and canals across
Yarlung Zangbo river in Tibet (known as Brahmaputra in India), Beijing wants to
divert fresh water to her dry areas; unmindful that such activities will
imperil the livelihood of those living in India’s northeast and Bangladesh.
While ethnic Tibetan populace seeking greater freedom is
becoming restive with rising incidents of self-immolations, Beijing is
responding threateningly claiming entire Arunachal Pradesh. Reacting angrily to
New Delhi’s decision to station BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles in Arunachal
Pradesh, India’s first offensive missiles deployment against any country, China
blasted the action as ‘no match to its military.’
The root of bad-blood between India and China can be
attributed to the shelter India provided to the Dalai Lama when he escaped from
Tibet in 1959. The new leadership of China has recently lifted a 17-year ban on
display of Dalai Lama’s photos in Tibet ostensibly to amplify policy
liberalization but is decidedly meant to prevent further self-immolations that
cause global outcries.
China says the Dalai Lama can help restore relations by
renouncing calls for Tibet’s independence and accepting Tibet as a part of the
country. The Chinese leadership is worried at the possible political
instability when it imposes its nominee on the Tibetans after the Dalai Lama.
While the older generation reveres the Dalai Lama and his call for peaceful
protests, the GenNext, members of Tibetan Youth Congress may indulge in violent
means to resist any imposition.
Because of close ethnic relationships between the
residents living in Tibet and Arunachal, any eruption of violence in Tibet
may vitiate atmosphere in Arunachal Pradesh: that may result in action by the
Chinese military. Presumably, till the time Beijing has actually imposed its
nominee as the Dalai Lama and Tibet is pacified beyond possibility of
self-immolations, it is likely to maintain its claim on Arunachal Pradesh.
China demands India to hand over Tawang in Arunachal, which
is the birth place of the sixth Dalai Lama. All discussions for settling
border issues between India and China will likely cease only upon completion of
“installation of a Beijing-selected Dalai Lama and peace in Tibet.” China then
will likely recognize Arunachal Pradesh as a part of India.
Opinion and Blog By Binay Srivastava
Published in The Headliners Today dated 31 August 2015
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