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China-India Relations in the Post-Soviet Era: The Continuing Rivalry
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 February 2009
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In September 1993, China and India signed an agreement “to maintain peace and tranquillity” along their disputed Himalayan border. This agreement between the two Asian giants – which required both sides to respect the Line of Actual Control (LAC), that is to maintain the status quo pending a peaceful, final boundary settlement and to reduce military forces along the border in accordance with the principle of “mutual and equal security” – has been described as a “landmark agreement” and “a significant step forward” in their uneasy relations since the 1950s. It was a logical culmination of a series of developments since the late 1980s, especially the visit of India's Premier to Beijing in 1988 and the reciprocal visit of China's Premier to New Delhi in 1991; the end of the Cold War and the bipolar system following the Soviet collapse; the consequent dramatic changes in the global strategic environment; and the overall improvement in bilateral relations between China and India.
However, the fact that Sino-Indian relations today seem to be better than at any time during the last four decades should not lead one to assume that all the hurdles in the relationship have been overcome. This article examines the factors underlying the current détente, and analyses Indian and Chinese perspectives on their bilateral relations as well as the wider post-Cold War Asian security environment. It concludes that a thaw in Sino-Indian relations notwithstanding, the two sides are poised for rivalry for regional dominance and influence in the multipolar world of the 21st century.
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References
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116. FEER, 4 August 1994, pp. 15–16. China has also urged the Philippines to go slow on its proposal for an arms register within the ASEAN and remains ambivalent on greater transparency in its military doctrine, expenditure and force deployment. Apparently, the very concept of such transparency runs counter to the Chinese strategic culture which places high value on deception and secrecy.
117. Gordon, “Sino-Indian relations after the Cold War,” p. 1. Indian Prime Minister Rao raised the subject of Russian arms supplies to China in his talks with President Yeltsin in June 1994.
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130. Besides, the lack of direct banking relations, air links or good transportation facilities have also hampered increase in bilateral trade. The two sides signed an agreement to open up more border trade points. “China and India paving way for peace,” Beijing Review, 20–26 September 1993, p. 6. According to one report, Indian commodities such as iron ore, drugs and engineering goods have a ready market across the Himalayas, while Chinese goods such as raw silkd, precious stones and petroleum products are welcomed by Indian businessmen. See India Today, 30 September 1993, p. 36.
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