Sino-Indian deadlock likely on J&K

S M Krishna

Sino-Indian deadlock likely on J&K

New Delhi: China is far away from acknowledging India’s core interests in Jammu & Kashmir, which means India and China will soon be heading towards a diplomatic standoff. At the annual ritual of the Russia-India-China trilateral held in Wuhan, China, a strenuous case by foreign minister S M Krishna fell on deaf ears.
    In his bilateral meeting with Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi, Krishna delivered the message that for India, J&K was as much a “core” issue as Tibet and Taiwan were for the Chinese. But as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao prepares to balance his visit to India in December with a visit to Pakistan, the Indian concern is likely to remain unaddressed.
    As far as India is concerned, China crossed the rubicon with the refusal of a visa to Lt Gen B S Jaswal of the Indian Army. India will be compelled to take this issue to the next level, because pleasantries have been exhausted. The Chinese side, unwilling to see the Indian point, persisted with their line that they approached India only from a point of friendship and that the status of J&K could only be decided by India and Pakistan.
    But in reality, China has inserted itself into the Kashmir debate, a point of consternation in India. The J&K issue is likely to become a bilateral thorn during Wen’s visit next month, a visit primarily intended to smoothen relations between the two countries. The special representatives will meet later this month for the next round of boundary talks, which will be held in the backdrop of this development.
    The trilateral Russia-India-China meeting lived up to its reputation of being a talking shop, accomplishing little of worth, and showing that it falls short of the heft enjoyed by BRIC in the international arena.