Forget Pakistan, it's China India should worry about

The recent skirmishes on the border between the two nations have brought the focus back on their checkered relationship.

No matter what plans and attempts the first prime minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru made, India and its neighbour China were never able to have a friendly relationship that he desired.

The jury is still out on whether it was Nehru's fault or the aggression from the Chinese that led to the shattering of his wish of realising the 'Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai' dream.

And it has never even come close to becoming a reality too, since the war between the two countries in 1962, following claims by both sides of border transgressions from the other.

Border disputes though have never reached similar heights since then, they have also never been completely solved. As can be seen from the latest allegations and counter-allegations, made by both sides on actions of the Army of the other country in the state of Sikkim.

The Chinese have accused the Indian forces of crossing the Line of Actual Control and disrupting the construction of a road, and India has blamed the Chinese forces of destroying two bunkers in the area.

Though various reasons can be thought of as the cause behind the sudden rise in such incidents, given the history of the relationship between the two neighbours these should hardly be surprising. And it would be a logical conclusion of such a past that these will not stop anytime soon.

When Nehru tried to have friendly relations with China, both countries had still not found their feet on the world stage. But with time as they started to grow in profile and are now seen as important leaders, such conflicts are just smaller moves played in a complicated high stake game of politics between two major countries.

It is such a relationship with China due to which India, no matter how serious the border issues that it has with Pakistan, should make Sino-India relations the centre of its attention.

Why India should worry more about China than Pakistan

India's conflicts with Pakistan have been well documented ever since independence including the rise in tensions between the two. And it has again come into focus following the current unrest in Kashmir, which has been actively supported by Pakistan.

While the Indo-Pak tensions can be understood in the context of the partition and animosity arising from it, with the Valley being the centre of it at present. It is basically a territorial dispute mixed with a controversial history.

The case with China is far more complicated with the territory being just one part of it. This not only includes geopolitics given the standing of both the nations with respect to Asia and the world but also attempts by western countries to counter each others growing stature in the world.

When it comes to Pakistan, India has been able to isolate it on the world setting by garnering the support of most important nations in the world. But when it comes to China, given its economic and strategic importance in the world the chances of many countries taking India's side are slim in the case of future disputes.

China also has the power to throw serious challenges and damage India's economic strategies as well, given the trade deficit India has with it and also the fight to capture various markets around the world like Africa. A threat that India does not face with Pakistan.

On top of all this, it is China that has now started using Pakistan, in its efforts to counter India's growth and force it into a difficult situation by closely associating itself with it and increasing its presence in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and also using the recent China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in the same area, which India believes challenges its sovereignty.

Along with these points which indicate why China is not just a neighbour of India with which it has territorial issues like Pakistan, the two countries are also flag bearers of opposing philosophies of democracy and communism.

Territorial issues with China

Though economics and geopolitical concerns might be the main points of contention between both the countries in modern times, the history of contentious issues goes well back to India's independence and beyond.

The problems that led to the Indo-China war had at its core the matter of the unclear demarcation of the border between the countries leading to both sides making claims that the other had not respected their territorial sovereignty.

The border situation was made worse after the Chinese army took control over Tibet, the seat of the Dalai Lama, which forced him to escape the area and seek refuge in India in 1959. And the Indian government's decision to grant him asylum has been a bone of contention between the two nations ever since. Still causing sharp statements from China against India whenever the subject is brought up in some context or the other.

In addition to this, Tibet coming under the control of China also led to another problem with respect to India. While till then Tibet had acted as a buffer between the two nations, now both had become direct neighbours which made territorial claims a major part of the problems between them.

The fact that the border is only clearly demarcated in Sikkim, which was the location of the latest skirmish, does not help matters as the countries share borders in three sectors. The eastern part being in the Arunachal Pradesh area, the middle in Uttrakhand and Sikkim, and the western in the Jammu and Kashmir.

Problems related to these areas have existed since before the British left India, and while different solutions have been offered on the issue, such as the McMahon line, they have not been accepted by both sides. For example, China does not agree with the McMahon line. Except for partial truce on the Line of Actual Control which was accepted following the 1962 war.

Challenges facing Modi's India

And territorial issues are used by China to counter India whenever any modern day reasons of conflict come up on the international stage. Such as those related to Dalai Lama or Tibet, when western powers try to build pressure on China regarding its human rights record. Or in cases, such as the present one when the Sikkim controversy took place as the Indian prime minister was visiting the US.

Other steps taken include Indian allegations of Chinese personnel entering Arunachal Pradesh, parts of which are still claimed by India's neighbour. Or active movement of Chinese troops in the PoK region and helping build infrastructure projects in the region.

Even though these can be thought of just as individual conflicts, they have become a part and parcel of geopolitics as both nations have seen their profiles grow in the world.
And it is in these areas along with those in the field of economics and geopolitics that the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces the biggest challenge from China.

While the leaders of both countries have tried to come together in fields where they have a common interest to take on the developed western world like their joint stand in the Paris Climate agreement where they were able put the responsibility of climate change on the developed countries, they constantly get placed on opposite sides on various issues.

These are usually in the field of economics and China's relations with India's neighbours where it has tried to increase its influence among them. Along with Pakistan, these include Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan among others. The main attempts by the Chinese include helping them build infrastructure projects like ports, railways etc.

Such acts have been termed the 'String of Pearls,' by which experts feel China is trying to not only reduce India's influence in its neighbourhood but also envelope it by having a strong base around India which could be used in case of tensions between the two rise in the future.

And the fact that India's attempts to join the coveted Nuclear Suppliers Group and become a member of the United Nations Security Council, have single-handedly been opposed and held up by China should leave no doubt about both the countries being competitors.

Along with these the growing trade deficit between the two which is clearly in China's favour, that is, India imports more from China than vice-versa, which not only makes India more dependent on the country but also makes it more vulnerable in terms of economic growth. The nature of the products which are mainly raw material that China imports from India while exporting manufactured goods also goes against the country's economic interest.

On top of all this, there is a direct competition not between the Indian and Chinese government but also the private companies of the two countries in their attempts to build major markets around the world and develop relationships in order to acquire natural resources. A prime example of this is the race to build a foothold in different countries in Africa.

All of them though important, are just examples of some of the modern day concerns that exist between the two nations having the potential to make the territorial issues flare up, and are the key challenges facing the Modi government.

While in the case of most countries around the world his attempts to form a personal bond with their leaders might help build a platform with them. In the case of China, this approach is highly unlikely to work and so deserves the Indian government's full attention.

Particularly as it goes well beyond the issues with Pakistan and is not just a fight for territorial integrity but a role that both these countries will play in the future world. With China winning in the early stages by being a dominant force in the world with a better economic standing which has helped it increase its sphere of influence and make other countries dependent on its support both in strategic and financial terms.

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