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On track with China

When India and China agreed three years ago to begin focussed, high-level discussions on the border question, they made two key assumptions. The first was that the issue was complex enough to warrant political involvement on a continuous basis. The second assumption was that regardless of the pace or contours of the settlement that emerge, bilateral relations would not be held hostage to disputes over a line on a map. The two sides also agreed not to reveal details of their sensitive discussions until a settlement acceptable to both governments was reached. After the eighth round of talks at the level of Special Representative, which concluded in Xian earlier this week, it is evident that India and China are intent on sticking to this method and style of work. For journalists, the process may seem opaque with nary a word about the proposals being considered and discussed leaking out from either side. But given the political complexity of the situation — in which territorial adjustments of one kind or another will almost certainly be involved — it is perhaps necessary that the ongoing dialogue be conducted away from public glare. Whether the territorial adjustments will involve actual transfers of land or simply the relinquishing of a cartographic claim sustained all these years on paper alone, there is no gainsaying the fact that each government will have to `sell' the agreement to its own people.

In April 2005, the two sides agreed on the "political parameters and guiding principles" for settlement of the boundary question. The task at hand is to formulate an "agreed framework" for a settlement on the basis of those principles. The 2005 agreement speaks of a "fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution" and calls on both sides to "make meaningful and mutually acceptable adjustments" to their positions on the boundary question. As for the factors to be taken into account, India and China have agreed to give due consideration to the "interests of their settled populations in the border areas," as well as to each other's "strategic and reasonable interests," historical evidence, national sentiments, practical difficulties, and the actual state of border areas. From "guiding principles" through an "agreed framework" to a package solution — it is possible that the high-level dialogue will involve many more rounds. However, proceeding from the political perspective of overall bilateral relations and in a spirit of mutual accommodation, India and China can and will eventually see the negotiating process through to conclusion. The two countries are not only neighbours but also engines driving Asia forward in the world. While there are forces outside the region that would like India and China to treat each other with suspicion so that they can carve out a role for themselves in Asia as a strategic balancer, the people of the two countries have far too much in common to allow such a situation to arise.

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