Asian Giants
Also known as Asian Giants, India and China are the fastest developing countries in the third world. Both nations have shown a rapid increase in growth in almost every sphere; including economy, education, business, human resources, and the list continues….. Not only this, but China even claims to top the position as the World’s largest economy by 2040. Comparing the growth of both countries, we can assume the fact that India is also not behind when it comes to the economic and cultural development of the country. Both countries play a major role in the future of Asia. They have their own fair share of ups and downs being two independent territories. Notably, India is the largest country on the Asian continent. The sub-continent shares its borders with various other nations, including; Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and China. While some of these neighbors find the geographical position of India as an obstacle; there are few who actually find some benefit in having friendly ties with the Republic of India. Here, our major focus is on the Sino – Indian context and therefore how China has planned strategies toward the same. India and China may have agreed diplomatically on various issues in International forums, but they have a long history of disputes with each other on various issues; of which border disputes and water disputes are much more common. Let’s have a brief glance at a few of the disputes that have occurred between India and China.
1. Water Disputes: India has one of the largest reserves of freshwater in the world. India has almost four times more water than China, provided one looks at its surface area covered with water. China, despite its huge landmass, is suffering from the paucity of water. The Brahmaputra, also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo, is one of the main reasons for conflict between India and China. The Brahmaputra is one of the largest rivers in the world. The river starts from the Himalayas in Tibet, enters India in Arunachal Pradesh, then passes through Assam, Bangladesh, and empties into the Bay of Bengal. The Brahmaputra is the most significant water dispute that both these Asian countries share. It is the major irritant between India and China. The Brahmaputra is a source of major water resources for more than 130 million people in India, China, and Bangladesh. The recent tensions occurred between China and India, when the Chinese government in its 14th Five Year Plan, stated an ambition to implement the downstream hydropower development of the Yarlung Tsangpo river. Here, Yarlung is the name Beijing implies for the first 2,840 kilometers of the river as it snakes through Tibet before it crosses the Sino – Indian border Line Of Actual Control (LOC) & becomes the Brahmaputra, transiting a disputed area that India regards as Arunachal Pradesh, but China claims as Southern Tibet.
- IMPORTANCE OF THE RIVER TO INDIA
People and communities adjoining the river Brahmaputra meet their livelihoods such as wading of cattle, fishing, cultivation, irrigation, etc. It also has the potential for hydroelectric power generation. India is planning a multipurpose 10.000 MW hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh.
- IMPORTANCE OF THE RIVER TO CHINA:
China has been historically a water-scarce country with uneven distribution of its water resources. The inter-regional disparity in water resources is stark. The Yarlung Tsangpo is also a source of drinking water & agriculture for the patched areas of Tibet.
- AGREEMENTS SIGNED AND THE PROBLEMS WITH THE AGREEMENT
As of now, there is no institutionalized mechanism for water cooperation between India and China. Surprisingly, China has signed no such water treaty with India or any of its neighbors & continues to act in a unilateral manner. However, in 2002; India and China entered into a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) wherein India and China agreed to share hydrological information about the river Brahmaputra with each other. In 2006, a Joint Expert Level Mechanism was set up between the two nations in order to exchange hydrological information & ensure a smooth transition of flood season hydrological data. In 2013, this provision was renewed with the change that from 2014 onwards sharing of data would take place twice a day from May 15th to October 15th. Therefore, any forward movement on ensuring hydro security in the Brahmaputra basin would require a long-term understanding between the two countries. India’s hydro diplomacy thus faces the daunting challenge of engaging China in a sustained dialogue & securing a water-sharing treaty that serves the interests of both countries. And if necessary, the International community should also be involved. 2. Sino- Indian border disputes: China and India have a huge history of disputes regarding the autonomy of Tibet. Even though, China did annex Tibet in 1950, the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, sought refuge with his followers in the Indian territory. This made China doubt the anti-China activities taking place within the Indian territory. Since the very beginning, China had claimed two areas that come under the Indian border, including; the AksaiChin area and the North Eastern Frontier Agency (NEFA), which is now Arunachal Pradesh. This led to a destructive war between both countries in the year 1962. Thus, we can see here how sensitive the border issue is between the two nations. Unfortunately, it’s neither the countries nor the conflict-prone area that has to bear the drastic repercussions of any decision taken casually either by the Republic Of India or the Republic Of China. Again, any actions or measures taken in case of the border conflict, it has to be sensitive enough keeping in view the issues faced by the local folks living there.
CHINA’S TWO-OCEAN STRATEGY
According to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, China is all set to put a strategic foothold in the Indian Ocean Island nations. China has turned to Sri Lanka and the Maldives for investment and security help. Undoubtedly, this has created enormous pressure on New Delhi as India has been historically active in having disputes with the Republic Of China. This might lead to more serious diplomatic tensions between the two nations in the future. In August 2020, China released a few of its Yung Wang Class Studies Research vessels into the Indian Ocean. These vessels are used to measure a few parameters including the salinity of the waters and the currents. Now, this has also changed the Indian perspective on the Indian Ocean. This is a crucial yet alarming situation that may result in nothing but devastation in form of conflict-prone wars. In one of his speeches, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about his concerns and also presented some of the ways to protect the Indian Ocean. Not only this, but China is being strategic towards India in almost every aspect. Whether it’s trading, economy, sharing of waters, border disputes, etc . , China never leaves any chance to show its power and diplomacy to India. On the other hand, India has adopted a crucial perspective on the same. Therefore, sharing its borders with one of the fastest growing economies of the world, India is prone to such conflicts and issues. And it’s not that surprising until and unless both countries handle the issue diplomatically by keeping world peace as their major concern.
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