India & China stand as major blocks in determining the world politics 2day.Yet they have unsorted issues b/w them undermining their mutual trust & co-operation.The recent visit of Dalai Lama to Tawang has brought Sino-Indian relations 2 a test.Beijing refers to Arunachal Pradesh as "Southern Tibet" which is denied by the Indian counterpart.Tawang is the most sacred town on Tibetan Buddhist map after Lhasa as the 6th Dalai Lama was born here in the 17th century.Dalai Lama clarified his visit as purely religious & not political.The U.S. also agrees with this view.Meanwhile the cause of concern for the Indians is the proposed construction of a dam over Tsang-po(Bramhaputra) by China.The visit of Mr.Manmohan Singh has also raised questions by the Chinese.The dialogue b/w the two countries has not yet given a clear stand on Arunachal Pradesh,also China has not recognised Sikkim as an integral part of India.The construction of a road in Demchok in South eastern Ladhakh has been objected by China.These issues seem tiny when the internal problems of the countries are seen as a whole.A lot of surveys show that both countries suffer from the common problems of Illiteracy,poverty & healthcare.A data shows that India spends around 2% of its GDP in defence against 7%of China.UNDP`s Human Development Index puts China on 92nd & India on 134th position.India is ranked 84 while China is on 79th pos in Corruption Perceptions Index.In legatum prosperity index,India stands on 45th pos as to China`s 75th.This goes on to clearly indicate the amount of work required to make these countries, leaders in all dimensions.The major territorial disputes can be classified as:-
Arunachal Pradesh:-
China claims 90,000 sq kms and calls it South Tibet.It has refused to acknowledge The McMohan line called The Line Of Actual Control.It is basically interested in Tawang & nothing else.
Aksai Chin:-
The uninhabited area of around 80,000 sq kms in north-east Ladhakh is called Aksai Chin.It is under Chinese occupation & this was noticed in 1959 when a road was found out of nowhere connecting Xinjiang province of China with Tibet.
Trans Karakoram tract:-
This was a gift from Pakistan to China in 1963.India has stern objections `coz it claims it as a part of Jammu & Kashmir.
Considering the sizes of these countries,these disputes seem very small.It is not worth fighting over disputed areas than underdeveloped ones.Both the countries must strive to combat their internal problems.Border issues take a long time to settle and so be it.Opportunities of mutual co-operation must not be sacrificed for petty land issues.
Arunachal Pradesh:-
China claims 90,000 sq kms and calls it South Tibet.It has refused to acknowledge The McMohan line called The Line Of Actual Control.It is basically interested in Tawang & nothing else.
Aksai Chin:-
The uninhabited area of around 80,000 sq kms in north-east Ladhakh is called Aksai Chin.It is under Chinese occupation & this was noticed in 1959 when a road was found out of nowhere connecting Xinjiang province of China with Tibet.
Trans Karakoram tract:-
This was a gift from Pakistan to China in 1963.India has stern objections `coz it claims it as a part of Jammu & Kashmir.
Considering the sizes of these countries,these disputes seem very small.It is not worth fighting over disputed areas than underdeveloped ones.Both the countries must strive to combat their internal problems.Border issues take a long time to settle and so be it.Opportunities of mutual co-operation must not be sacrificed for petty land issues.
