Integrity Score 390
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Hissing Dragon-Squirming Tiger:
Comparisons, Negotiations
and Attitudes continues...
The third set of perceptual problems is the question of attempting to, or not attempting to, de-link the accepting of the Chinese position that Tibet is part of China, from the details of the settlement of the boundary.
In fact the two issues cannot be separated, since any question of settlement of the Chinese claim to the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh is dependant upon whether Tibet is legally part of China or not. Which is why the Chinese make any visiting Indian senior dignitary, whether the President of India, the Prime Minister, or the Foreign Minister [A. B. Vajpayee,
1979], ‘kowtow’ to the Chinese stand that Tibet is a part of China, and make them say it and repeat it in any official joint proclamation of any kind. In fact, this amounts to a pre-requisite for any ‘friendly’ talks or negotiations. This historical background regarding Tibet and China bears re-capitulation, which will follow.
The fourth perceptual problem is one of detail, and has already been discussed: that of where a precise ‘historical’ or ‘traditional’ boundary between India and Tibet has always been. As we have seen, the Indian government’s perception varies from that of the Chinese, which is based on ethno-cultural and land tenure/grazing rights considerations, as in the central sector, for example. Tax collection by
Buddhist monasteries, which have ‘administered’ some of the areas
concerned, as in the Tawang Tract, also form part of the Chinese support for their claims.
To be continued......