Tuesday, October 13, 2009

China-India relations deteriorating fast

I really hope that Obama and his people are closely following the simmering Sino-Indian tensions over Arunachal Pradesh.  Now, apparently China is upset that India's prime minister visited Arunachal Pradesh--which is a state in India, but which is a "disputed territory" according to China:
China is “deeply upset” over Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, an official said on Tuesday in a statement that is bound to further heighten tensions on the long-running border dispute between India and China.
“Despite our grave concerns, an Indian leader went to the disputed area,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu told reporters here on Tuesday in a regular press briefing. “We hope the Indian side does not create problems on the border area so as to benefit the sound development of China-India relations.”
Election campaign
Mr. Singh visited Arunachal Pradesh on October 3, ahead of the State Assembly elections which were held on Monday. The Chinese statement comes 10 days after his visit. A likely reason is many government offices here remained closed last week on account of an eight day national holiday.
China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its website on Tuesday, Beijing was “strongly dissatisfied with the visit to the disputed region by the Indian leader”, not directly naming the Prime Minister.
“We demand the Indian side address China's serious concerns and not trigger disturbance in the disputed region so as to facilitate the healthy development of China-India relations,” the statement said.

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