The border problem....

The recent Chinese incursion in Arunachal Pradesh has created quite a furore in the Indian media. The strike-through stemmed from the fear factor that never really left the Indian hearts after the humiliating defeat of 1962. It can’t be answered easily whether the media genuinely wanted to inform the Indians about the developments in the part of India or it (as usual) wanted to cash-in on the paranoia associated with China by stoking it further. There have been varied opinions about the same. Indian officials have criticised the Indian media for exaggerating the matter. According to them, it’s creating a conflict which is currently non-existent and does not realize the importance of under-playing controversial issues in an effort to maintain peace.

To assess whether the media is justified or not, however, we need to understand the Sino-Indian conflict first. It is known that China-India relations have always been turbulent. We are the only neighbour China seems to have a problem with. The ‘Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai’ phase didn’t last for long. China was soon found criticising Nehru, who had supported formation of Peoples Republic of China in the early years. Internationally, it has portrayed itself as a peace-loving and non-interfering nation, but it has always been sceptical of India. Very recently, the country opposed India's civilian nuclear deal with USA. Probably, it feels threatened by the growing links between the two nations. India has also always felt that China has tried to encircle it from all sides by trying to woo Vietnam, Combodia, Myanmar, and Nepal etc. The worst fears are, however, associated with its links with Pakistan. It has been providing this nation with nuclear support and supporting them so much so that if India goes on war with Pakistan, it will have to face the joint might of its strategic ally as well. The giant – China – will make a two front war inevitable for India.

China’s points of contention with India were Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh. Both countries claim ownership to this land. China doesn’t agree to the international border set-down by India. Once, China had agreed to take over Aksai Chin and leave alone Arunachal Pradesh, but it didn’t work out as India was still angry with them.

The recent declaration by Dalai Lama to visit Tawang, a small beautiful pass on the eastern border has worsened the situation. Tawang is of strategic importance to China, as it is the easiest gateway to India from China. However, Dalai – Tibetian leader- openly said that it belonged to India. This angered China very much and it has been opposing Dalai’s visit there.

However, all said and done there have been positive interactions between the two countries as well. The situation never worsened to war levels after 62 war. And China happens to be India’s biggest trade partner. Indian authorities have declared that there has not been any significant increase in the number of incursions by them and hence, not to get paranoid. However, unless they come out with the documents on the same, one cannot know if government is projecting an under-played image. They have even threatened to sack journalists, who have published articles without government sourcing and proper proof. Only time can tell whether this artery will succumb to the high pressure eventually.