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Significant round
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-11 07:46

The 13th round of Sino-Indian border talks held from Friday through Saturday yielded no substantial result, but its significance should not be downplayed.

The meeting drew unusual attention as it came at a time of so-called border tensions, marked by reported acts of muscle-flexing by India such as additional troops and strike aircraft deployment.

Media reports on possible compromise China was about to make over disputed territory before the talks - which created an uproar on the Internet and was immediately rejected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - testify to the sensitivity of this long-lasting issue.

The latest round of talks, however, served to dispel worries about any escalation of tension, with officials of both countries pledging to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas before a "fair and reasonable solution acceptable to both" is found.

Significant round

This message of peace is what leaders of both countries have always tried to emphasize. By reiterating this long-held stance, the two giant neighbors, which have forged a strategic cooperative partnership, were telling the world in unison: war should always be excluded as a solution to disputes.

Pessimists tend to dwell on the brief border war China and India fought in 1962 (the only one in their long history) to interpret any move by either side as an attempt to get the upper hand over the other. They fail to understand that the areas of agreement between the two largest developing nations far outstrip their differences.

Indeed, Sino-Indian relations are too important to be interrupted by the single issue of border disputes. They share a wide range of common positions in international affairs and are coordinating closely on issues such as global financial crisis and climate change. The two also face the same pressing task of developing their economies and improving people's livelihood.

Yet against this background, mutual understanding, particularly at the level of common people, remains disproportionately low. For example, how many people know that China is India's biggest trading partner since 2007, and Sino-Indian trade is set to cross the $60-billion threshold next year, a 30-fold jump from the 2000 figure?

If only the two countries could deepen and strengthen mutual understanding and trust, nothing can prevent them from forging even closer ties.

The two ancient civilizations of China and India should show enough political wisdom to find a peaceful solution to the thorny issue of the boundary dispute, which is a legacy of colonialism.

If the problem cannot be solved by this generation, the two giants can leave it to the next generation. There is no other option for both sides than living in peace and developing side by side.

(China Daily 08/11/2009 page8)