Sikkim solution: Should India confront China?

CHINESE WHISPERS: While Yan said the reports of incursions were false, Joshi said the border was still a debated territory.

      

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China has opened a new front in the boundary row with India and has dragged the entire Sikkim boundary into the dispute. Chinese troops have made as many as 71 intrusions this year into the Himalayan state and show no signs of stopping.

The Indian government has only chosen to disclose this now, with the latest incursion being reported on Monday.

Beijing has served notice that it is disputing not just the Finger Area, as has been widely reported, but the entire Sikkim boundary.

India, which has not challenged the intruding Chinese troops even once, seems caught in a response paralysis. That’s the issue CNN-IBN debated on the show Face the Nation: Should India confront China on the incursions in Sikkim?

Debating the point was a panel comprising Former Chief of Indian Army Staff, General (Retd) V P Malik; Bureau Chief, People's Daily Ren Yan and Comment Editor, Mail Today Manoj Joshi.

Gen Malik kickstarted the debate and said he was more surprised than shocked by the frequency of the incursions, considering in 2003, China had said Sikkim would be recognised as part of Indian territory. “I won’t say my blood boils but I will say that I am surprised. The India-China border is 4,000-km long. Our border along Sikkim is 605-610 km. This is one area where the border is fully demarcated. We’ve had it peaceful since 1967 when Nathu La operation took place,” he said.

China too has reacted to the reports, playing safe and calling the border issue a “very sensitive” one. However, Ren Yan, the Chinese representative of sorts on the show, said he doubted the veracity of the report itself. “If such report is true, why isn’t Indian govt reacting to it? In past, such reports have been found to be untrue. I think the border between India and China is peaceful according to the 1993 peace and tranquility agreement,” he said.

Chinese whispers: India’s got it wrong

Yan substantiated his argument by citing the recent bonhomie between the two countries, the improved trade ties and global recognition.

In 1890, there was an Anglo-Chinese convention which defined the water share – Teesta on the Indian side and Moochoo river on the Chinese side. Water cans were put up but there was no joint demaracation. Joshi said that could possibly define why the stands on intrusions are not clear. “It is possible that in a space of 1 km there was disagreement as to where the cane should be. I think we need to jointly demarcate the border,” he said.

However, the situation seems to have gone beyond that stage. The incursions are no longer limited to the Finger Area. In Wednesday’s reports, the Chinese troops were reported to have intruded up to 1 km into Sikkim. This prompts the most obvious question: Is China reconsidering Sikkim question? Or is it a settled issue?

Yan cleverly evaded question and put the blame on India instead. “Many reports in the Indian media are wrong. “The border between two countries was making things complicated,” he said.