Wednesday, October 21, 2009

The Dragon Breathes Fire

Okay, this is not really an article. Just something I would like to express my views on.
Recently, India and China have been locked in a vortex of verbal wars or conflicts. China expresses its discontent on some issues and India on others. Let us look into what has got China aggravated.

First of all, the Dalai Lama issue is always ubiquitous. Whenever he makes a statement or visits Arunachal Pradesh, China always has something negative to say about it. I really do not see the point. The war with Tibet is long over (though the belligerent feelings remain). Yet, every move the Dalai Lama makes is closely watched and examined by the Chinese Government. Some Chinese officers claim that he issues statements which are Anti-Chinese. But the Dalai Lama is an Indian citizen now, and I really don’t see the reason why China should keep on interfering with his every move.

Secondly, as I mentioned in the previous paragraph, the issue of Arunachal Pradesh. China proclaims that after defeating India in the 1962 war, it has occupied large territories of A.P. and that now it is a part of China. Can anything be so ridiculous? Arunachal is an integral part of India, and has always been so. The recent elections confirmed this, with over 70% poll attendance. Yet, whenever our Prime Minister/Dalai Lama/Other VIP visits A.P., the Chinese get offended. They claim that such actions will deteriorate Indo-Chinese relations. I really don’t see any legitimate reason for the Chinese Government to get offended by this. Not unless they want to expand their territory and military base.

Lastly, China is now considering Jammu and Kashmir as an independent nation not a part of India. They are even issuing a separate visa (on a piece of paper) for it. The logic being that the region is a disputed area which both the Indian and Pakistan Government lay claim to. Chinese officers have gone so far, as to the extent of creating a separate map for India which does not include Jammu and Kashmir as an integral state, but a separate nation. I would not even like to comment on this ridiculous report. Who knows, next the Chinese people will announce that Alaska is not a part of the USA, and should be considered as a separate nation since it has a far colder climate.

There are many other trivial issues which are resulting in minor and major conflicts between the two countries. And neither side is ready to give in. Anyways, let’s hope for the best, and wish that the issues get resolved soon.

2 comments:

Manu Bajpai said...

Satwinder I am really happy that someone brought up this issue. I really agree with your views on the irrational behaviour of China. Adding to this, it looks that even google is supporting China. Every now and then it includes Arunanchal Pradesh in China's boundaries in Google Earth Map. All this is really insane.

Satwinder Singh said...

@Manu: I hadn't noticed that. But its a really sad fact if even Google ignores it.

Hopefully things will get better in future. Esp since the Thailand talk between India and China.

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