The Conspiracy to Push India and China into War Must Be Thwarted

India's embrace of the Dalai Lama in 1959, coupled with an unresolved border dispute, created renewed conflict between India and China.

(DIASPORA /Tamil Nadu) - The United States and Canada share the world's longest border of 8993 km. Throughout the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, the two countries have worked out a number of agreements that have smoothly established their boundaries.

As a result, the people of both countries are living peacefully without any border tensions.

India shares its 15,100 km long border with seven countries (Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan).

Of these, India has a long history of border ties with China (3488 km) and Pakistan (3323 km). This is because after India gained independence from Britain, the borders between the two countries have not yet been properly determined.

The Line of Actual Control - LAC between India and China is not defined. Thus, the two armies are advancing and retreating in the coldest conditions of 4200 meters above sea level. This causes periodic tension. Finally, in 2013 and 2017, tensions over the Indo-China border disappeared.

Again this year, in May, a clash broke out between the two countries in the eastern Ladakh region. Following this, there has been tension on the Ladakh border for about 6 weeks.

According to reports, Indian and Chinese troops clashed again in the Galwan Valley on the night of June 15.

It is said that both players were involved in throwing stones and in direct quarrels. According to Indian sources, 20 Indian soldiers, including one from Tamil Nadu, were killed in the clashes. The 45-year-old clash between India and China has caused a stir. There are ongoing efforts between the two countries to negotiate and resolve the issue.

In the 19th century, the British began the process of expanding the borders of their colonial India, and the process of creating boundaries between India and other countries began.

At its meeting in Shimla in 1914, the British government sought to define the territorial jurisdiction of Tibet and determine the border between India and Tibet. Although tripartite representatives attended, only Britain and Tibet signed an agreement on the McMahon Line.

The British Indian government concluded that the line was the longest border between India and China. But later, China refused to accept the agreement that it had not signed.

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China under the leadership of Masche Tung in 1949, China began to gain strength. India, which gained independence from Britain in 1947, sought to be a more powerful country in Asia than China in resolving the border dispute with China.

Although China has not ratified the McMahon Line since 1914, no Chinese government took up the issue of border crossing until 1949. In terms of the famine policy of India and China in 1954; India first recognized China's sovereignty over Tibet. The two countries may initiate negotiations to resolve border disputes in or after this time.

In 1959, Tibet's 14th Dalai Lama came to India seeking refuge in Tibet against the Chinese government. He came from India and made statements criticizing China. This angered China. This is because China may have regarded India as violating one of the five-nation policy of 'not interfering in the internal affairs of a country'.

India's embrace of the Dalai Lama, coupled with an unresolved border dispute, created a new conflict between India and China.

It is well known that the Dalai Lama was also in the context of the China-India War in October 1962 - November. In this unilateral war, Chinese troops advanced on the eastern frontier of India and returned to their former position. It underscored that China had no intention of invading parts of India.

India and China are powerful nuclear weapons countries. The modern day indirect majority avoidance agreement is to keep nuclear weapons. This has led many to conclude that there is no major war between the two countries. There is little in this. But war can be triggered by a mistake that one side makes.

China and India are the countries with a population of 144 crore¹ and 138 crore respectively. Thus, the mutual trade ties between these two countries will only outweigh those of Western countries in economic growth for another half century. In 2018, trade between India and China was USD 95.54 billion.

India's exports stood at $ 18.84 billion, according to data from the Indian Foreign Ministry. The various industries of India are based in China. Both countries play a major role in today's global economy.

Considering all of this, the two countries must continue to strengthen relations through negotiations, rather than bipartisan rivalry.

¹A crore denotes ten million (10,000,000) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system.