India-China Relations #1: Bilateral Reasons

Kanti Bajpai’s book, India Versus China, is very informative on why the two countries have been neutral at best, and adversarial at all other times. In ancient times, the Himalayas were an insurmountable barrier. As Vikram Seth wrote in his travelogue through China:

“The two countries, despite their contiguity, have had almost no contact in the course of history… the heartlands of the two great cultures have been almost untouched by each other.”

Sure, a few well known travellers moved around, Buddhism spread, but there was no ruler-to-ruler contact nor any significant trade between the two. Thus, neither side has any positive memory of the other. And contact during the imperialist era had Indians as part of the British attack force on China…

 

Since independence, China views India the way we view Pakistan – the frustration that nothing can be done to settle things once and for all with a vastly weaker neighbour. Why not? The Himalayas prevent any full-scale Chinese invasion. Cometh the winter, India would inevitably take back everything on this side of the Himalayas. India sees China as a country that continually thwarts India’s growth and rise.

 

The source of friction in recent years is the border. Unfortunately, it’s been that way since 1949. At the root of the dispute is the definition of the border:

“India wanted to honour inherited boundaries whereas the China wanted to renegotiate them.”

India’s policy was that colonially inherited boundaries had validity – otherwise, every Asian and African country would be in endless conflict with its neighbours. China, on the other hand, considered imperialist imposed boundaries as just that – an unjust line forced upon them and therefore invalid.

 

Until 1962, both countries avoided discussing the border issue. Why? Each had enough internal and bigger problems to deal with – poverty, and nation building. But when one/both are stable and/or better off, border tensions rise again. (This is a recurring pattern, even today).

 

Tibet has been a major irritant between the two countries. While Tibet was supposed to be an autonomous region, India was realistic once China decided to “absorb” it. But the US fomented rebellion in Tibet, including sending arms. The US embassies in Pakistan and India were involved. China assumed the Indian government had blessed all this. India hosting the Dalai Lama only fuelled Chinese suspicions. India has wanted an autonomous Tibet so it could serve as a “buffer” between the two countries. But with China eating away Tibet’s autonomy, it was clear Chinese troops could move in any time. So one can see why both countries mistrust each other so much on all matters Tibet.

 

The 1962 war is weird. Yes, India was caught grossly unprepared. But the Chinese declared its end abruptly; and gave up most of their territorial gains. It made one wonder: what was the point? The answer:

“Delhi needed to be administered a painful shock.”

It was a deliberate choice to hit India where its troops were strongest – to demonstrate that even at points on the border where India’s strength was greatest, the Chinese were more powerful. A message was being sent.

 

The author’s take on why border standoffs are rising in recent years? (1) They are almost always triggered by construction activities seen as too close to the border by the other side; (2) Better surveillance tech on both sides means any incursion, accidental or deliberate, is spotted much faster; (3) Better communication and troop movement capabilities on both sides means they respond faster to such information; and (4) Both Xi and Modi are aggressively nationalistic, so neither can afford to lose face domestically by stepping back.

 

While #4 will obviously change with time, I can see a common thread to the first 3 reasons: both countries are getting richer; and hence the first three reasons will only happen even more frequently.

 

Unless they can somehow start to trust each other. But that’s not an easy or likely thing, as per the author, not just because of all the above-mentioned reasons and history but also external reasons that we will get into the next blog in the series.