NEW DELHI: Fifty years ago, a young Dalai Lama fled Tibet in south-western China and crossed the border to Arunachal Pradesh in India's remote north-eastern corner.

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1. This article would have been more balanced had it noted, in turn, the less-than-friendly signals from the Indian side. Wasn't that no less than an Indan Defence Minister who named China as an enemy? Don't Indian military and political leaders talk openly about developing military capability in terms of use against China ? (For example about being able to hit major Chinese cities with IRBMs ?) So it's going to tke both sides to de-escalate. Both countries have a historic opportunity to develop and pull as many of their people as possible out of poverty. It'll be a crying shame to get distracted over border problems.

2. The interesting thing (to me at least) is where the domestic political fallout will occur if the Chinese Govt were to drop the claim over Arundachal Pradesh formally. Except for some netizens with a very Singaporean characteristic, the fallout will not be amongst the Han Chinese. The Han Chinese psyche is tied to Qhong Yuan (the Central Plains). The fallout, with some irony, will be amongst the Tibetans who will accuse the Chinese Govt of giving away their claim to land. Left to the Tibetans, the dispute over Arundachal Pradesh may become a lot more active. This was the result of yet another of those controversial treaties for which we have, again, the British colonialists to thank. There is a short summay of it within the text of History of Tibe in ikipedia.

3. AS for the DL, isn't it amazing how he manages to appea in places where China has territorial disputes on "religous" grounds and with a "non-political" agenda ?

Originally Posted by WongHoongHooi

AS for the DL, isn't it amazing how he manages to appea in places where China has territorial disputes on "religous" grounds and with a "non-political" agenda ?

Do you think that Dalai Lama has much control over himself? How do you think he managed to survive in exile for half a century, without having a full-time wage-earning job? As the saying goes, he who pays the piper calls the tunes. Personally, I believe in Dalai Lama's sincerity. The problem is that he simply has no power to do much. His backers are pulling all the strings. Furthermore, his nostalgia for Tibet in the 1930's (even as an integral part of China) would not endear him to the Chinese government.

India's relations with China suffered a set-back after it entered into strategic alliance with US. Perhaps things would have been different if India had adopted an independent foreign policy towards its neighbours with the ultimate aim of establishing an Asian Union with China as one of its constituent members.

Some Indian leaders are confused about China's raise. Both in terms of soft power, real progress and military might. So they feel insecure and has to 'do something'.

Traditionally China has little interest in India. China is already too populous, too big and have too much on her hands. Adding Indian territories or Indian subjects does not add value, so it's unlikely that China has any ambition with India.

Would take some time for India to overcome such complex.

"Some Indian leaders are confused about China's raise. Both in terms of soft power, real progress and military might. So they feel insecure and has to 'do something'.

Traditionally China has little interest in India. China is already too populous, too big and have too much on her hands. Adding Indian territories or Indian subjects does not add value, so it's unlikely that China has any ambition with India.

Would take some time for India to overcome such complex."

You are thinking like an old school imperialist. Modern great power tangoes often do not involve any significant exchange of land.

India's complex stems from the border war which they fought with the Chinese after a honeymoon period soured over Aksai Chin. While the only reason the Chinese assault was a surprise was a complete misreading of Chinese movements and intentions, the fact remains the Chinese are a bogeyman to the Indians with heavy equipment planted only a few hundred kilometres from New Dehli.

Continued Chinese support for Pakistan, snubs to officials born in the Chinese claimed lands and several ongoing insurgencies add to Indian worries. Both countries seek to be the numero uno and neither wants to end up the junior partner.

It took world war 2 to start the EU mostly because both Germany and France realised they can't survive another war and they do share a common heritage. Hindi dominanted India and Han dominated China differ enough they view each other as outsiders, not willing to trust enough to form something like the EU.

For centuries Indai and China leave each other alone.

Things changed when the Indians started to play their hand in Xicang perhaps with the support of the Britis or the willingness to act as the proxy of the Brits, that was before the Sino India war.

Apart from Xicang matters, China really have no interest in India. India have too many of their own problems to solve.

Originally Posted by psarin

India's relations with China suffered a set-back after it entered into strategic alliance with US.

And China would not enter into a strategic alliance with the US if there is an opportunity? Who would not want to hold hands with a winner? And that is the problem. No sane leadership would decline such a strategic alliance with US as long as it is not forming some kind of a military bloc that targets another country or specific groups of countries.

"Apart from Xicang matters, China really have no interest in India. "

You forgot the A. Pradesh region.

By the way, you are such a 'Chinaphile', but you can't get the hanyupinyin right for the Chinese name of Tibet( as I have noticed that you spelt 'xicang' so consistently on the other DBs on Tibet as well that it couldn't have been a typo). I am surprised.

it's Xizang（西藏）, not Xicang. It's only pronounced 'xicang' in cases like 东躲西藏。Understand？

"For centuries Indai and China leave each other alone.

Things changed when the Indians started to play their hand in Xicang perhaps with the support of the Britis or the willingness to act as the proxy of the Brits, that was before the Sino India war.

Apart from Xicang matters, China really have no interest in India. India have too many of their own problems to solve.

For most centuries India was under the rule of the British or the Mughal Empire. A buffer existed in the form of Tibetan kingdoms as well as the Ottoman. Basically, the Chinese dynasties and India were seperated by several other potential hostile powers.

When China converted Tibet from a vassal state to outright province status however, the buffer disappeared. All of the northen Indian states were suddenly on the low ground from a Chinese army assault. India too dreams of being the new hegemon is constantly worried over Chinese possible designs in Central Asia, arming Pakistan and the PLA Navy in the Indian Ocean.

India despite her problems has asserted itself as a military power in South Asia since all her neighbours are relatively weak. China however throws a spanner into the works and there have been rumblings in China of using Pakistan as a detour to the ocean instead of attempting to break the string of pearls that is Australia, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan.

A real war would of course be extremely costly, and both India and China have a lot more to lose now. But sometimes, war happen despite everyone's attempts to prevent it.