Round The World

New Delhi, 31 August 2010

Sino-Indian Ties

ALL IS NOT WELL

By Monish Tourangbam

Research Scholar, School of International Studies (JNU)

Irritants in Sino-Indian relations are here again to restrict the new traction that the two countries had managed to acquire in recent times. In addition to the intractable border dispute over which the two Asian giants fought a war and many other differences that persist over a host of vital issues, the Chinese has of late shown increasing signs of meddling in the Jammu and Kashmir issue. India deems the Kashmir question as sensitive as the Tibet issue is to the Chinese leadership.

Despite all the bonhomie seen in Sino-Indian ties of late, evident in the number of high-level visits this year (Foreign Minister SM Krishna, President Pratibha Patil and National Security Advisor Shiv Shanker Menon) uneasy exchanges have taken place between the two over Beijing’s reported investment in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) which New Delhi considers a disputed territory and the Chinese Embassy issuing stapled visas to J &K residents. Concerns also abound in India’s policy-making circles about the prospect of a future Sino-Pakistan nuclear deal.

The latest diplomatic spat between New Delhi and Beijing concerns China’s policy stand towards the Kashmir issue. It is widely known that India does not tolerate any external interference on the Kashmir subject. As it considers the State an integral part of the country and at the most regards all forms of contention strictly bilateral between the aggrieved parties: India and Pakistan.

The latest thorn in Sino-Indian ties came in the form of the Chinese Government refusing to provide visa to Northern Army Commander Lt Gen B S Jaswal (supposed to visit China on a defence exchange programme) on the grounds that his jurisdiction included J & K State. Thus, indirectly reiterating Beijing’s ambivalent attitude towards the Kashmir issue and its well expected tilt toward Pakistan, which has fought three wars with India over the question of Kashmir. The denial of visa on the flimsy ground that he was in command of J&K has certainly not gone down well with New Delhi.

Apart from some ambivalence from the Left parties, the Government and the Opposition have vehemently rejected such an unwanted gesture from the Chinese. New Delhi has reportedly issued a demarche on the matter and made known India’s concerns in a meeting between External Affairs Ministry officials and the Chinese Ambassador to India Zhang Yang.  The Government has made plain that Beijing was solely responsible for this new unwanted development which would have negative repercussions for larger India-China ties. 

According to Government sources, “This incident is certainly tied to China’s position on J&K. They are regarding J&K as an issue which is yet to be sorted out between India and Pakistan and are questioning the status of the State. This issue concerns our sovereignty and is as sensitive to us as Tibet is to them.”

Apart from the Arunachal issue, Beijing seems to be increasingly intent on using the Kashmir question as a bargaining chip in dealing with New Delhi. In light of this situation, the Government should constantly extract a concrete Chinese standpoint that it respects the territorial integrity of India and would not unduly infringe on the internal affairs of a neighbour.

Even though both Governments’ have tried to play down the effect of the visa row, the impact of the antagonistic stance have already been felt, with clouds of uncertainty hanging over future defence exchanges or military exercises between the two neighbours. However, sources assert, meetings of army personnel posted on the borders will go on since they were “part of the structure evolved to maintain peace and tranquility”. Although both countries attach importance to military ties and would in all circumstances want to keep it on track, the bitterness of the current spat can hardly be ignored.

As an immediate outcome, New Delhi cancelled the scheduled visit of two Chinese military Captains and a senior Colonel, amounting to “halting” defence exchanges for the time being at least. While the Captains were to attend a course at an Indian Army centre in Pachmarhi, the Colonel, who has been a guest lecturer at the National Defence College in New Delhi earlier, was to grace a reunion.

Efforts are ongoing on both sides to ensure this row is not a long-term affair and to circumvent this irritant from inflicting a larger damage to other components of the comprehensive relationship. But at the same it should be made plain that India is not ready to tolerate or compromise on sensitive issues like J&K for the sake of furthering Sino-Indian ties. There is no dearth of mistrust and suspicion between the two neighbours. Therefore, utmost caution should be observed not to derail ties over some tit-for-tat rhetoric and unwarranted policy projections.

Amidst all the diplomatic offensives, there is some good news in the culture and education sphere. Notwithstanding, recent Chinese moves to negatively influence development of Sino-Indian military ties, the HRD Minister Kapil Sibal is all set to visit China this month to attend the World Economic Forum meet. During his visit, Sibal is expected to discuss bilateral student exchange programmes besides participating in deliberations with other leaders on the issue of sustainable growth.

Besides, another news worth celebrating for Indian students increasingly looking towards China as an educational hub is a long-awaited pact between the two countries on the verge of being signed between Sibal and his Chinese counterpart. Whereby India and China will treat each other's degrees as equivalent under the agreement. The mutual recognition pact with China will, however, not cover medicine and pharmacy programmes.

True, Sino-Indian ties, normally identified with mistrust and suspicion, has of late, managed to acquire some effective area of maneouver. Yet, the list of differences and antagonism are still long. And the latest visa row is just another irritant in which both countries refuse to watch from the same angle.  Being the world’s fastest growing economies with increasing political and economic clout on the international stage, the two neighbours with a not so rosy past would increasingly find themselves jostling for space. 

But there is a parallel narrative that shows instances of cooperation and mutualism in spite of all the lingering differences of opinion and antagonistic interest. The furtherance of the educational and cultural exchanges will help the two Asian people understand each other more and drive away some of the prejudices that have defined the relationship. In the first half of this year, there have been three high-level visits to China that have fostered the winds of change. However, more efforts are needed to attain maturity in the relationship, wherein an occasional rhetorical move would have no chance of derailing the entire machinery of engagement. ----- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)