Keeping It Cool

The Chinese Defence Ministry and government/party controlled media have played down the new friction between India and China over the reported disinclination of the Chinese Foreign Ministry to issue a regular visa to Lt Gen B.S Jaswal, the General Officer commanding in chief of India’s Northern Command, who was to lead an Indian military team for the fourth defence dialogue to be held in Beijing.  

The Chinese Foreign Office reportedly stated that he came from the "sensitive location of Jammu and Kashmir" and "people from this part of the world come with a different kind of visa" and suggested that India depute some other officer for the dialogue. The government of India has not agreed to this and suspended two forthcoming visits by three Chinese military officers to India -- two of them for attending a training course. New Delhi has, however, clarified that the suspension of military exchanges would not apply to the periodic trans-border meetings between military officers posted on both sides of the disputed border as part of the confidence-building measures.

There is apparently an attempt by both capitals to keep the temperature under control and not to allow the friction to assume a self-sustaining and aggravating dimension, thereby damaging the over-all bilateral relationship. New Delhi has denied press speculation that officials of China's Ministry of Public Security had recently removed maps of India exhibited in the Indian pavilion in the Shanghai Expo showing Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as its territory and describes it as southern Tibet.

The Chinese Defence Ministry has sought to give the impression that India's suspension of the forthcoming visit of three Chinese military officers to India did not amount to a suspension of the broader military exchanges between the two countries. It said in a statement: 

"China has not suspended defense exchanges with India and has received no word that India has stopped military exchanges between the two countries. " 

The Chinese Foreign Ministry, which caused the friction by its disinclination to issue the visa, has remained silent till now.

There is an attempt by the Chinese to treat it as a purely visa-related misunderstanding not having any strategic significance in relation to the Chinese position on Jammu & Kashmir and to create an impression that China has not changed its position to favour Pakistan and to the detriment of India. In an article carried on August 30, 2010, the Party-controlled Global Times said: " The Muslim-majority region of Kashmir is now under control by India and Pakistan, both of which claim full rights to the area." 

B. Raman is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Associate of the Chennai Centre For China Studies