Page 2 of
2 In Kunming, an exercise in
uneasiness By Sudha
Ramachandran
India-Russia-China
exercise in Rajasthan - an Indian state that
borders Pakistan - to avoid ruffling Pakistan's
feathers.
If the venue of the upcoming
joint exercises was Rajasthan or Gujarat - states
that border Pakistan - Kondapalli says he "would
have rated this as a high level exercise from the
Indian point of view". But it is being held in
Kunming and therefore is a "cosmetic exercise" as
far as India is concerned, Kondapalli told Asia
Times Online. Where the next round of exercises is
held will therefore be
important.
The joint
counter-terrorism exercise between the two armies
is of little value, writes B Raman, former head of
counter-terrorism at the Research and Analysis
Wing, India's external intelligence agency,
pointing out that: "No India-based terrorist group
is operating in Chinese territory and vice versa.
No India-based terrorist group poses a threat to
Chinese nationals and interests in Indian
territory, unlike Pakistan where there have
already been many attacks on Chinese nationals not
only by suspected Uighurs, but also by indigenous
Pakistani jihadi terrorist organizations."
Raman argues that "while there is
considerable scope for the exchange of
counter-terrorism-related intelligence between the
intelligence agencies of India and China, there is
not much scope for operational co-operation
between the security forces of the two countries
in tackling land-based terrorism". He points out
that there is possibility of co-operating in
specific situations such as hostage taking or
hijackings. "In these fields, other Indian
agencies such as the National Security Guards, the
Central Industrial Security Force, the Central
Reserve Police Force, etc, act as the weapon of
first resort and the army as the weapon of last
resort." Various counter-terrorism agencies of
India need to therefore brainstorm among
themselves "before they embark on any meaningful
cooperation with the Chinese" with regard to
tackling land-based terrorism. "Otherwise, the
cooperation will remain a purely cosmetic
exercise," he notes.
Few in India believe
that the joint army exercises signal a new
moderation in China's position on the disputed
border. Kondapalli drew attention to several
instances over the past year that indicates
China's hardening position on the border. It has
been reiterating its claim over Arunachal Pradesh,
which Delhi holds as an integral part of India. In
November last year, on the eve of Chinese
President Hu Jintao's visit to India, China's
ambassador in New Delhi, Sun Yuxi, reiterated
Chinese claims to the entire Arunachal Pradesh,
not just to Tawang district. Beijing also denied a
visa to an Indian bureaucrat from Arunachal who
was to tour China along with a large group of
fellow officers.
More recently, Chinese
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told his Indian
counterpart Pranab Mukherjee in Hamburg that the
"mere presence" of settled populations [as in
Arunachal's Tawang district] did not affect
Chinese border claims. This is inconsistent with
the "political parameters" for a potential
settlement of the border that the two sides had
agreed upon in 2005, Kondapalli pointed out.
Of considerable concern are the Chinese
incursions into Indian territory in recent weeks.
There have been reports of Chinese troops entering
the Indian state of Sikkim on November 8 to
destroy at least two Indian army bunkers. There
have been reports too of Chinese incursions into a
part of Bhutan that is perilously close to India's
Chicken's Neck - a narrow sliver of Indian
territory that links the Indian mainland to the
Northeast. While the Indian leadership has denied
the Chinese incursions in Sikkim and Arunachal
Pradesh, V K Joshi, director general of the
Indo-Tibetan Border Police, recently admitted that
there have been over 140 instances of border
violations by Chinese troops in the past year.
That the hand-holding at the Kunming joint
exercises has little to do with the way the
Chinese are looking at resolving the border is
suggested by the allegations that the incursion
and destruction of Indian army bunkers in Sikkim
reputedly took place even as the Chinese army
delegation was in Kolkata finalizing details
regarding the joint exercises.
"We need to
bear in mind that these are two separate issues
for the Chinese," a senior army officer in India's
Eastern Command said. "We cannot lower our guard,
even if we have reached a point where we are into
war games with China."
The joint exercises
at Kunming will provide Indian soldiers with a
chance to watch and work closely with the Chinese,
he said. "It will provide us with a chance to
understand the mind of our enemy."
At
Kunming the two armies will be faking situations
where they are working together in fighting
terrorism. The reality is that 45 years after
their border war they remain wary of each other.
Sudha Ramachandran is an
independent journalist/researcher based in
Bangalore.
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