Borders a hindrance to Asian development
India's civilian expedition this week and next, to the edges of the Line of Actual Control on the Khatling glacier which separates two Asian giants, is not just a message to China. It also symbolises the clash between man's aspiration for a better future with the modern concept of borders.
Imposed on Asia by colonial powers, borders limit movement, constrain economies and become focal points for disputes. Former Indian foreign minister Jaswant Singh says territorial definition is a western concept.
The Khatling expedition is composed of army 'volunteers'. Another is planned to the Siachen glacier bordering Pakistan. India's army wants such treks to become a regular phenomenon. 'Otherwise, we may find a Chinese patrol sitting there one day,' said one officer.
The military has cause for concern. Last month, India was surprised by a Chinese claim along a sector of the border undisputed until now. After several incursions, when Chinese troops were waved away from Indian territory, there followed a Chinese move to construct a road across an area that Indians call Finger Point. At just 2.1 sq km, its value lies in its commanding position over the strategically important Sora Funnel connecting Tibet with Sikkim.
Though diplomacy prevented the situation from escalating, the Sikkim sector has now become another part of the contentious border issue that has plagued Sino-Indian relations for 50 years.
New Delhi does not fear a war over the border. Malnutrition, disease and poverty are far more potent threats to tens of millions of the world's poorest people. The means to combat these everyday killers is to use the diplomatic service to import technology and attract investment to renew India's decrepit and largely non-existent infrastructure. The festering border problem continues to distract Indian diplomacy and radicalises Indian nationalists.
The dispute jeopardises recent successes in Sino-Indian relations. Though not without its hiccups, trade is a source of development and revenue for India. Business continues to balloon, and this year's target of US$20 billion was met last year. Planners in New Delhi hope that a settled border will mean that the Chinese hinterland of Tibet and Xinjiang will trade with India.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has stressed that India's future can be best served by maximising interdependence and lowering barriers - in short, through the elimination of geographical, mental and social borders.
China's co-operation is essential to ensure Dr Singh's vision of social and economic development without constraints. Modernity has much to offer by way of technological and economic benefits. But the fruits of modernity can be best enjoyed if governments abandon debilitating aspects of modernity. None is more so than a non-negotiable border.
Dr Singh and President Hu Jintao both say India and China can 'grow together'. They can best do so in a borderless world.
