China’s move to use Sikkim border dispute as flashpoint, part of well-crafted strategy
It's unfortunate that China has linked the border differences with India along Sikkim to the devotees’ Kailash Mansarovar visit (through the Nathu-la pass), and has stopped the pilgrim's progress on this route in protest. The provocation has been a standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Doka la area at the Sikkim-Tibet-Bhutan tri-junction. The primary reason for the confrontation is that both New Delhi and Beijing have differing perceptions on the sovereign boundaries — and this is neither new nor confined to the Sikkim border. But over the decades, both sides have been working hard to resolve the issue through established mechanisms. These systems have served the cause well to the extent that, despite sharp differences neither China nor India has resorted to an armed conflict. The present matter too could have been handled better. China has accused Indian troops of “trespassing” into the Chinese side and hampering construction work there. On the other hand, the Indian response is that Chinese soldiers came over to the Indian side and created a ruckus. Whatever the situation may be, it needs a quick resolution and the pilgrims must be allowed to continue their journey through the Nathu-la route. The Chinese response — clearly disproportionate to the supposed provocation at hand — can be better understood in the context of some recent developments that failed to fully catch the media's eye. In an interaction, Chinese Ambassador to India, luo Zhaohui, while talking of the India-China border dispute, said that Sikkim could be tackled first. In other words, he suggested a piece-meal approach, separating the Sikkim issue from the other border disputes. New Delhi would certainly not like to acknowledge that the border dispute here is different from that of the rest and must, therefore, be urgently resolved. The Ambassador's idea, which he floated innocently, did give an indication of the stance the Chinese would take in the coming weeks. The Doka la incident is part of this gameplan. China is vigorously pushing for enhanced tourism exploitation along the Sikkim-Tibet-Bhutan tri-junction and is, therefore, more than eager to encounter the Indian presence at the border. Using the tourism contact, Beijing wants to increase its presence in South Asia through the tourism route.
Almost a decade ago, the then Chinese Ambassador to India had told the media that Beijing planned to extend its railway link from lhasa to the newly opened border posts along India North-East. Few people believed him or in the grand project then, but the Chinese have been working on it diligently — and their present aggression along the Sikkim border is part of that larger dream. It should not come as a surprise that the Indian side was hardly ever consulted on the design to build a ‘trans-Himalayan’ railway link. Beijing has been hard-selling the project on the pretext of developing tourism which will not only benefit China but the neighbourhood too. This is how it hopes to gain the cooperation of others such as Nepal and Bhutan. New Delhi must secure its territory and speed up infrastructural works on its side to counter potential threats.