Expert: China will not compromise on Sino-Indian border issue
- Source: Global Times
- [16:46 August 07 2009]
- Comments
Border talks between China and India began today in New Delhi, capital of India, according to the Global Times.
This round of negotiations followed media speculation, with Reuters saying the two countries are not likely to reach a border treaty, while Hongkong media claimed the negotiations are making great progress.
Ming Pao, a Hongkong newspaper, suggested that the present time is not favorable for China to resolve boundary issue in such a hurried way because the country is still rising globally and if the dispute is not properly addressed, the result will only be blamed by generations to come.
Chinese military expert Long Tao commented that the disputed region of South Tibet was not the cause of the two countries' conflict in the history, but rather was left over from 1914. That was when the British colonialists arbitrarily made the "McMahon Line," which Long says is even more ridiculous than the unequal Treaty of Nanjing.
He also added that though the two parties want to focus on developing bilateral ties, China won't sacrifice its sovereignty in exchange for friendship. Therefore, India should not have any illusions with regards to this issue.
The Sino-Indian boundary extends about 1,700 kilometers and is divided into three sections, namely the east, middle and the west sections. Of the disputed regions, the east section is about 90,000 square kilometers, equivalent to two and a half times the area of Taiwan. The middle section is about 2,000 square kilometers, about the size of Shenzhen. Currently, the two sections are under India's control. The west section of 33,000 square kilometers, known as Aksai Chin Basin, is under Chinese control.
