A strange Chinese trade off: $100 billion & 100 incursions

China calls 150 deliberate incursions by its army as isolated incidents and sermons that It is "unwise to let isolated incidents along the border to negatively affect the promising China-India relationship."

Trade with China stood at $66.5 billion in 2012 and will touch $100 billion by 2015. Citing such huge business figures, China in a commentary published today, castigates Indian media for trying to spoil relations between India and China by harping on border incidents.

There have been around 150 Chinese incursions during the last seven months, and the last ten days have seen four in Ladakh area. The Joint Working Group on Border Mechanism, set up two years ago to ensure peace and tranquility on the 4,000 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC), will see India registering a formal protest over repeated transgressions by China.

Despite the working group, last two years have seen more than 600 such transgressions due to difference of perception of the LAC.

China says "the disputes, a historical hangover, were not created in one day, neither will they be resolved overnight. It is unwise to let isolated incidents along the border negatively affect the promising China-India relationship."

"China and India, as two major emerging economies, have much to gain by further deepening political and economic ties.
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After all, the right track forward for the two giant neighbours is to boost investments, expand trade and strengthen links so that both countries can benefit from the win-win cooperation."

Media bashing

Chines news agency Xinhua noted that the Indian media, "which have traditionally focused heavily on the border disputes between New Delhi and Beijing, are now asserting again that Chinese troops have crossed the border' between the two countries".

This came just a few months after similar reports soured to some extent the atmosphere ahead of Premier Li's India visit, the news agency said, adding: "Fortunately, Beijing and New Delhi, with political wisdom, made joint efforts to defuse the tensions timely, and the visit, part of Li's maiden overseas tour since assuming premiership in March, turned out a big success."

"Looking back on the Indian media hype about Chinese border intrusions', one has to admit such sensational reports are indeed harmful to the China-India relationship. Such reports have only served to further sow misunderstandings between Indians and Chinese even at a time when their leaders are working hard to manage their differences and to build a constructive relationship that can benefit both sides," the commentary said.

Pakistan too harasses India

The Chinese adventure seems to have encouraged Pakistan to needle India.
Pakistani troops violated ceasefire and opened fire at Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district, the fourth violation this month.

The Pakistani troops opened small arms firing at Indian posts in forward area along LoC in Poonch district at 2230 hours on Monday night (July 22), Defence PRO Col R K Palta said.

The Pakistani troops also fired Pika rifle rounds. The firing continued for 20 minutes last night, Col Palta said.
Indian troops guarding the border also retaliated and there was no loss of life or injury to anyone in the firing.

This is the fourth ceasefire violation this month. On July 3, Pakistani troops fired at policemen, who had gone to LoC at Sabzian in Poonch to collect the body of a Pakistani intruder killed in IED blast. The Pakistani troops had again fired at Indian soldiers on July 8 while they were trying to evacuate injured porters along LoC in Poonch. On July 12, Pakistani Rangers opened fire at Indian forward posts in Pindi belt along International Border (IB) in Jammu district.

OneIndia News
(with agencies inputs)