Mar 2, 2011

Pitching India’s Concerns on Relations with China

India’s Foreign Secretary Ms Nirupama Rao has moved up to her job through the chair of the ambassador in Beijing and thus knows China very well. She put various issues on Sino Indian relations in perspective in a speech in New York on 12 February 2011. Some of the key facets are reproduced in original below to provide a clear understanding of the Indian point of view without any editorialising. 

An Assertive China. China has, of course, begun to deal in the currency of global power and its economic success is impacting its foreign defense and security policies. Now the appellation of assertiveness is frequently applied to China’s global profile today. But I really believe that neither of us have a luxury of seeing each other in purely antagonistic terms. The view that India and China are rivals to me is an over generalization as well as an over simplification of a complex relationship which encompasses so many diverse issues. I believe that the proposition of competition and rivalries should not be exaggerated in a manner that it over shadows our genuine attempts to manage and transact a rationally determined relationship between India and China.

The Boundary Question. There is no denying the fact that we have a disputed border. There are legacies as well as lessons bequeathed to us by history. The boundary question is a complex problem. The cartographies that define national identity are internalized in the minds of people of both countries. At the same time, we are making a serious attempt to arrive at a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution of the boundary question as the recent fourteenth round of talks of the special representatives, appointed by both governments, will testify.

The absence of a solution to the question is not due to lack of effort; instead it arises from the difficulty of the question itself, as any analyst in the audience would surely appreciate. What also needs to be appreciated is that the India-China boundary is one of the most peaceful of all borders. We have in place an organized set of measures or what we call the confidence building measures, or CBMs, to ensure peace or tranquillity in the border areas. We are currently talking to each other on establishing more such mechanisms. I believe there is maturity on both sides to understand the complexity of the issue and to insulate it from affecting our boarder relationship. I believe this policy has paid dividends and has contributed towards reducing the possibility of conflict.

Defence Exchanges. I would like to delve briefly on defense exchanges between India and China because when you talk about the boundary question, you also dwell on the role of what the respective defense establishments would be. We have had defence exchanges between India and China, including small scale anti-terrorism related military exercises. At present, our high level military exchanges are on hold and I do not know how many of you are following this debate in the media, of late, but some differences have arisen over the fact that China recently did not accept an army delegation from our northern command. But, all the same, flag meetings of border personnel along the line of actual control have continued. So, the situation in the border areas remains tranquil. So, when it comes to defence exchanges I believe it would be right for me to say that there is desire to slowly expand these exchanges that there have been limits to this process.

Role of PLA. I think that a question here again which is debated quite often these days is about the role of the Peoples Liberation Army. Is it more assertive than before? What is the contribution it makes to the formation of foreign policy vis-à-vis China’s neighbours?

Sino Pakistan Relationship. At the same time we do not hesitate to stress our genuine concerns regarding some aspects of the Pakistan-China relationship particularly when it comes to China’s presence in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, China’s policy on Jammu and Kashmir and China-Pakistan security and nuclear relationship. Here we have welcomed a more open discussion with China on these issues and I believe as mutual confidence grows in this relationship we will have more opportunities to discuss these issues and also to seek more clarity and more transparency in regard to the concerns that we have raised.

Stapled Visas. The issue of giving stapled visas to Indian nationals from the state of Jammu and Kashmir also arises in a similar context. So these are issues that are of concern to us when it comes to the China-Pakistan relationship. Because when China gives the stapled visa to an Indian living in Jammu and Kashmir, the inference that we draw out of this is somehow the status of Jammu and Kashmir is being questioned by China. The issue of Indian sovereignty over Jammu and Kashmir is being questioned by China. This is an issue that we need to resolve. The Chinese Government has told us that they are giving serious attention to this and they would like to see this resolved and we are hoping that there would be satisfactory resolution to this. We believe that the India-China relationship will grow even stronger once China show more sensitivity on these core issues that we feel impinge our sovereignty and our territorial integrity and we hope that this can be realized.

Security Architecture in Asia. Finally, what I would like to say is that, people talk about security architectures for Asia. Here again there is immense scope for India and China to engage in closer dialogue with each other. Because there are issues of maritime security, the issues concerning global commerce in our region, the issue of terrorism, the issue of just ensuring that we have a peaceful periphery; all these we share common concerns. We have stressed rather than excluding China from any debate or discussion on security in our region, it would be rational to follow up more inclusive approach that involves more engagement with China, more discussion, more exchange of ideas with Chinese stakeholders, so that we have balanced and inclusive security architecture in our region. And this will support India and China.

Peace between India and China. As India and China pursue their interests, so long as their overwhelming preoccupation remains their domestic transformation, both of us will understand that the realization of this goal requires a peaceful environment around us. The reality is that both our countries have worked hard over the last two decades to enhance dialogue in a number of fields and we must maintain and build on that trend. [MHA India Press Release].

Related Article