New Delhi: It seems that all is well after the Olympic Torch ran without any untoward incident and South Block has marked up its brownie points with Beijing. However, experts warn that Indo-China differences over Tibet are still to be addressed.
China's security concerns in Tibet have increased many fold and hardliners in Beijing appear convinced that New Delhi is seeking to undermine China's position in Tibet.
India has rejected Beijing's claim that the Dalai Lama instigated violence in Tibet and India's call for a dialogue with the Dalai Lama has not gone down well in Beijing. China is also upset over India discussing Tibet with the US.
Now Arunachal Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu is planning to invite the Dalai Lama to Tawang to inaugurate a hospital, which could be the last straw.
Hardliners in China are expected to use the opportunity to demand that the border talks with India be shelved. BJP MP Khirren Rijiju from Arunachal, who joined the Tibetan protestors is skeptical about China's plans.
“China is building up its military might right from Arunachal to Ladakh. It is very worrisome. Somewhere between Nepal and Bangladesh, in the chicken's neck corridor, a major trouble is brewing up. India has raised some army forces in that place which has been totally opposed by China,” says Khirren Rijiju.
The assessment by the army's official think tank the Center for Land Warfare Studies in Delhi is more cautious.
“Their posture overall has been a little more aggressive towards India. While the rest of the relationship is getting on very well, especially the economy and trade, the security relationship hasn't really progressed in the same way. And the security relationship has the potential to act as a spoiler in the larger relationship,” says Director, Centre Land War Studies, Gurmit Kanwal.
The warnings are muted right now but could reach a crescendo if Beijing's problems in Tibet deepen. And although the Line of Actual Control has been tranquil for the last two decades, divergent perceptions as to how and where it runs provide enough fuel to fire the frontiers.
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