The ice melts

29 June 2003

Mumbai: Just the way we licked Pakistan in 1971, China licked us in 1962. And just the way Pakistan is hurting, we seem to be hurting.

There is, however, not much reason for us to be crying over what at best could be termed as spilt milk. The differences between India and Pakistan are serious and the solution could be evasive. The differences between India and China, nevertheless, are not that contentious or unsolvable.

The Indo-China problem started in 1916 when the borders between the two countries were drawn up. As it happens in all such situations there were disagreements over certain areas. These disagreements were not major as is signified by the fact that after Independence and throughout the fifties, India and China were the best of friends with Panch Sheel, the five pillars of cooperation and 'Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai' being the slogans of the day.

The border differences could have been sorted out those days but no serious efforts were made. As a result China attacked us in 1962. The reason for the attack was for a piece of land in the Northeast where, to use Nehru's words, "Not a single blade of grass grows."

Relations between the two countries have been as chill as the snows of the Himalayas since then — a missed opportunity for trade and commerce between the world's two largest populous nations.

Prime Minister A B Vajpayee's high-powered visit to China is aimed at solving the political differences as well as to take steps for improving trade and commerce between the two countries.