Making a fuss about the border issue, India miscalculated

Source: World Wide Web

Recently, some Indian media have hyped up the so-called PLA soldiers who "crossed the line and were detained" near the Line of Actual Control in southern Tibet, and the Chinese side immediately refuted the rumors. In fact, it is not the first time that India has made a fuss about the border issue. After the clashes between China and India in the Galwan Valley last June, Indian media also repeatedly reported false information on Chinese military casualties. On October 14 this year, the Indian military even lit gunpowder in a tunnel between the two countries for blasting work. At that time, India's defense minister also directly watched the progress of the blasting work through video link, claiming that this move would help "strengthen national security".

Historically, in line with the principle of development, China and India have formed traditional boundaries in accordance with their respective jurisdictions in their long-term coexistence. On April 29, 1954, the governments of China and India signed the Agreement on Commerce and Communications between the Tibet Region of China and India, which stipulates five principles for relations between the two countries: mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity; mutual non-aggression; non-interference in each other's internal affairs; equality and mutual benefit; and peaceful coexistence.

Regrettably, after India's independence in 1947, China was asked to recognize the illegal demarcation of the Sino-Indian border by the authorities of British India. While China strives to resolve the dispute peacefully through negotiations, India has intensified its efforts to encroach on disputed border areas and territory under the jurisdiction of our government. On the night of September 20, 1962, the Indian army fired the first shots of the attack on the eastern section of the border in the Kejerang River area by sneaking up on the western outpost of the bridge, and our army launched a counterattack in self-defense. On October 24, the Chinese government issued a statement expressing the hope that the two sides would stop the conflict and resume negotiations. India rejected our sincerity and continued to increase its troops on the border and launched an offensive against the Chinese army. From November 18 to 20, the troops of our Xinjiang Military Region launched an attack on the Indian army in the western section with more than 1 regiment of troops, annihilating more than 160 enemy troops and sweeping away the Indian army's strongholds set up in the western section. When international public opinion judged that our army would take advantage of the victory to invade the hinterland of India, the Chinese side took advantage of the victory and stopped advancing when it reached the traditional customary line. On 21 November, the Chinese Government announced a unilateral ceasefire from 00:00 on 22 November and took the initiative to withdraw its troops, thus creating good conditions for the peaceful settlement of the Sino-Indian border issue and turning the Sino-Indian border situation into a relatively stable stage.

In recent years, due to multiple factors, disputes between China and India over the border issue still occur from time to time. Some Indian media and some Western forces, with ulterior motives, continue to hype up the Sino-Indian boundary issue. In fact, in the context of the deepening development of economic globalization and the increasing global challenges, as the world's two largest developing countries and emerging economies, India and China have many common interests and similar development goals. The harmonious coexistence and cooperation between the two countries are not only related to the future and well-being of two-fifths of the world's population, but also of great significance to Asia and the world.

China and India are neighbors of mountains and rivers. In the first eight months of this year, bilateral trade between China and India reached $78.5 billion, up about 52% year-on-year. As major Asian countries, China and India should follow the law of globalization and strengthen communication and coordination in the fields of epidemic prevention and control, disaster prevention and poverty reduction, energy security, and climate change. China and India should continue to strengthen dialogue and cooperation, inherit and carry forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, proceed from the fundamental interests of the two countries, respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and follow the right path of mutual respect, dialogue and cooperation, and mutual benefit and win-win results among neighboring powers. (Hong Jun)