New Delhi
24 July 2007
agreement, India aligning herself with with the US, and India joining the US, Australia
and Japan for the nascent quadrilateral initiative to contain China will lead to hardening
of Beijing's position on the territorial dispute with New Delhi, according to a visiting
Chinese scholar.
Prof Wang Yiwei of Fudan University's Centre for American Studies said in an interview
to this newspaper that the "Chinese perception of India's behaviour or attitude will
influence Beijing's attitude" to the boundary question.
He said, "Of the three Ts that define India-China bilateral ties, Territory is the most
difficult issue. Trade is growing, Tibet is not the top concern for China, but the territorial
dispute with India is the largest (among all its neighbours)."
There are 14 countries in China's neighbourhood. It has resolved the boundary question
with 12 of them.
Prof Wang is certain that Beijing will not accept the "unfair" McMahon Line as a criterion.
He is equally certain that India will need to "give up something to get something".
According to Beijing, the disputed areas are not Indian territory because the McMahon
Line is a legacy of the "Western colonialists". Also, China showed "greatness" once,
after the 1962 India-China war, when it gave up land it controlled, and it could not be
expected to show magnanimity again.
In his estimation, two factors would determine resolution of the India-China boundary
question: Chinese national security and political considerations. If political
considerations outweighed security concerns, Beijing might not be opposed to an
understanding on swapping of Aksai Chin in the western sector for "the politically
important Tawang plus more" in the east. However, if security issues prevailed because
India was seen as competitor, then Beijing would want to control Aksai Chin "for ever".
He explained that Beijing felt that Tawang was "easy to get but difficult to control",
whereas Aksai Chin would be "difficult to control for India" because of its location. Aksai
Chin's military significance would be a deterrent against India, which could otherwise
use it as a military base or a radar station, if India joined the US missile defence
system. He said, "Moreover if Aksai Chin is given up, it would mean political loss after
the 1962 war."
Prof Wang added that India "lost an opportunity" to settle the boundary question when
Deng Xiaoping and Mao Tse-Tung were alive. "President Hu Jintao is not Deng or Mao.
He is strong but cannot compare with them ... they could make decisions without caring
much for public opinion," he said.
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