In recent times, China has resorted to reiteration and re-assertion of claims on Arunachal Pradesh. There was shrill propaganda when the Prime Minister and the Dalai Lama went there. It suits the Chinese to keep the border dispute with India unresolved. Incursions have been widely reported and continue.
Foreign policy mandarins offer a different perspective which calls for some unease. “If your border infrastructure is really poor, then how can you take a strong stance? Do you know in some places our border outposts are as far as 200 km on foot?”
Alarm bells about our appalling border infrastructure were first rung by Shyam Saran, a former foreign secretary, who pushed for much greater connectivity. “All across our borders, from China to Bangladesh, to Myanmar and Bhutan, the roads are always better on the other side,” points out the diplomat who goes on to say that “ironically, in the case of some of our neighbours, the roads were built by us.”
Answer the questions below precisely and briefly. No cut and paste job please. That is now passe in the academic world. It will be seen as asinine imbecility.
While the North Eastern region is hostile to India and gives room for Chinese machination, Arunachal Pradesh is a different ball game. Comment
Arunachalis are very patriotic; they protested against the stapled visas by China; whereas in other North-Eastern states there are militant movements, some of them such as ULFA(with Paresh Barua) allegedly getting help from China!
There is “pro-India” feeling in Arunachal, which is not as much the case in other regions of the North East.
North East India is a very much prominent part of India. I must personally acknowledge the fact that the NE folk definitely value being a part of India. It is only a region where the voices have not been heard. But if look at their prominence in Indian soil they have contributed a lot but in a silent way. They are in fact the most hard-working lot, ready to adapt and yet struggle to find their existence. Yes agreed given their circumstances of living, livelihood and yet to “come to the fast moving world” forces many of them to relocate and fight their survival. The Arunchalis have dominated their foot hold on their current invasive attempts by the Chinese, they are determined to fight out their cause paradoxically the militant bound activities like the ULFA [United Liberation Front of Assam], NDFB [National Democratic Front of Bodoland], KLNLF [ Kabri Longi N.C Hills Liberation Front, UNLF [United National Liberation Front] , PREPAK [ People’s Revolutionary Party of Kanaleipak] etc are a few groups that play a dominant role in militancy. This is the issue that the Indian Govt over the years’ have been trying to contain.
It suits the Chinese to keep the border dispute with India unresolved. Explain.
That is because it gives them leverage to bargain against us-use the unsettled border as a prelude to encourage insurgency, build border infrastructure and carry on incursions.
China will rather try to create a “war like scenario” reminding India that it holds a key card player in the Asiatic belt and moreover it tries to strengthen its base in Pak as well in Nepal too. This aims to create a worry on the Indian diplomats urging them to be prepared for a dialogue at point of time the moment it realises it is in way of danger. This makes India to be prepared, build in strong borders, tighten its grip on loose holdings. The intention could be something, but the motive is achieved!
Agree with you, Arun. I some times think, that we lost out to China way back in the 1970s, when we declined to accept the Permanent Seat in UNSC offered by US, and said that it must “rightfully” go to PRC.
Ideology, NAM, warts and all, we are now trying to regain the leverage lost long ago.
Sino-Indian bilateral relationship is more of economic cooperation than regional cooperation. China wants to be the super power in the Asia but only country which can compete with it is India.
Hence it wants India to be unstable this can be achieved by many forms like keeping an unresolved territorial Dispute, indirect support for separatist movements, by providing nuclear and missile technology to India’s neighbourhood and opposition to India’s membership in global and regional organizations like the United Nations (UN) Security Council.
Due to this India is spending large amount of its GDP on defence than utilizing it for other development oriental programme.
“If your border infrastructure is really poor, then how can you take a strong stance?” Does it not strike alarm bells in you?
Absolutely! Isn’t it time that we sealed Indo-Banlgadesh border with a proper fence? Good fences make good neighbours!
And the longer the question of PoK is stretched, it is advantageous for China-it has already made huge investments there. Had PoK not been there we would have road connectivity with Afghanistan.
Border problems are impediments to meaningful cooperation.
Good fences make good neighbours! NOT ABSOLUTELY
proper negotiation and disciplined approach make good neighbours
@Sir : definitely i agree with the statements made by sir.
@Aneesh: forget fence, build it with proper security measures and then see the result!! It must be high time, India realises that it should reply with a bang and then make statements of Value against the neighbours like China and Pak.