India and China to be brothers again?

Asia Times provides a long and thorough account of the 2003 Sino-Indian talks and their repercussions in this June 28, 2003 article.

Although the gist of the article covers Vajpayee's return to the Nehru Panchsheel doctrine, and the breakthroughs being reached by setting aside the most difficult issues, events are zooming ahead elsewhere in the arena of trade.

Here's a very significant passage for my studies: "At any rate, the people of Sikkim have been celebrating throughout the week. Trade between India and China is expected to rise to significant levels through Sikkim because the roads are motorable, maintained as they are by the army, and Kolkata port will facilitate access to international markets. The Sikkim route is expected to help the whole eastern region. The Indian army, however, remains strongly opposed to the opening of the Old Silk Route through the Nathu La pass on strategic grounds."

And here also is India's longstanding position on Tibet, reiterated in the latest round of diplomatic talks:

"The first agreement between India and China, in 1954, was on "trade and intercourse between Tibet Region of China and India". Indeed, China would not have taken the bilateral relationship further, or even signed the Panchsheel with Jawaharlal Nehru at Bandung in 1955, if India had not recognized Tibet as a part of China."

"On August 2, 1958, India sent a formal note to China in which it clearly stated that "the government of India recognizes that the Tibetan region is part of the People's Republic of China"."

"A communique on December 23, 1988, reaffirms this, as does another on December 16, 1991. "

So all along India has been bending overbackwards to reassure China about Tibet. However, for China, the presence of the Dalai Lama in India as well as the whole government-in-exile continues to present a huge dilemma, perhaps I surmise because of the guilt and shame involved?

[link]

Rediff (2003.06.27): Sino-Indian ties no longer hostage to the past?

This article by Mira Sinha Bhattacharjea in Rediff claimed that, "If the principles enshrined in the Joint Declaration signed by the two prime ministers last Tuesday are upheld in political practice and policy, then Mr Vajpayee will have succeeded at long last in moving the bilateral relationship firmly onto the track of cooperation." [link]

She noted how Vajpayee had visited China in his first term as foreign minister in the short-lived JP government of 1977 and Rajiv Gandhi also tried to normalized relations across the border in his visit to Beijing in 1988.

She identified two issues of continuing concern -- the territorial issue and the nature of the Sino-Pakistan equation. Of course, there are also larger geopolitical issues, but these ones were of immediate concern and most troubling for people at a visceral level. [link]