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| India-Pakistan |
| Chinese political advisor accuses India of triggering 1962 war |
| 2007-02-04 |
| BEIJING: Ahead of Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing's visit, a Chinese political advisor has accused India of triggering the 1962 Sino-Indian war and cited Beijing's "unilateral" withdrawal after the skirmish as an example of the Communist giant's "peaceful intentions". "China is a neighbour to a record number of 15 countries, and for historical reasons, it has territorial disputes with nearly each and every one of them," Lau Nai-keung, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) said. In a commentary entitled "China's re-emergence should be welcomed" in the state-run 'China Daily,' Lau, a Hong Kong-based politician wrote that for many years China has been trying to resolve conflicts with neighbours through peaceful means. "One by one, we have settled national boundary lines without resorting to war," he wrote ahead of Li Zhaoxing's visit to India from February 11. Turning to India, Lau wrote that "our relations with India have been tense for many decades. The two countries even went to war in 1962. By all accounts, even that of Indian's own investigation, China was the country attacked." He quoted former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai as saying that "we sent three open telegrams to Jawaharlal Nehru asking him to make a public reply, but he refused. He was so discourteous; he wouldn't even do us the courtesy of replying, so we had no choice but to drive him out." "....To the surprise of the world, China announced its unilateral and unconditional withdrawal to 20 kilometres behind the disputed McMahon Line," he said quoting Zhou. Lau noted that China and India are now on friendly terms with growing economic ties, and they are closer than ever to a cordial agreement on their borders. |
| Posted by:john |
| #7 John, it's almost Islamic. If a land was once "China," then it's rightfully part of China again. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2007-02-04 21:51 |
| #6 And he is remembering INCORRECTLY, Gorb It's probably what he was taught. :-( |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-02-04 17:15 |
| #5 |
| Posted by: john 2007-02-04 16:38 |
| #4 And he is remembering INCORRECTLY, Gorb. The Reds were the invaders in the 1962 Sino-Indian War, and they kept a large chunk of what used to be India and declared it China. |
| Posted by: Shieldwolf 2007-02-04 16:14 |
| #3 China's anti-satellite test worries India NEW DELHI: India for the first time on Sunday expressed its deep disquiet about last month's ASAT (anti-satellite) test when China destroyed an aging satellite in space with a DF-21 missile. Addressing an aerospace seminar organised by IAF, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee said: "The security and safety of assets in outer space is of crucial importance... We call upon all states to redouble efforts to strengthen the international legal regime for peaceful uses of outer space." The language was guarded, and couched in a call for collaborative international action against weaponisation of outer space. But the message was clear and deliberate. According to sources, it reflected the concerns of both the MEA and the ministry of defence, which had hitherto remained silent. The message had been worked on by the top strategists in the Indian government, reflecting the degree of Indian unhappiness on the Chinese test on January 11. China is traditionally a country the Indian government is loath to criticise openly. "Satellites play an important role in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, securing communication and delivering accurate firepower on the ground at large distances. Recent developments show that we are treading a thin line between current defence-related uses of space and its actual weaponisation," he said. His statement comes ahead of the visit of Chinese foreign minister Li Zhaoxing, who will be here for bilateral talks before a meeting with Indian and Russian foreign ministers. India will raise these issues at the meeting, said sources. The trilateral forum is likely to be used by Russia and India to convey a similar message. Mukherjee also used the occasion to send another unequivocal message to China, warning it off the Indian Ocean and India's strategic waters. China's interest in extending its influence in this area is not new, but a Hu Jintao visit to Seychelles — which comes after intense Chinese interest in Indian Ocean rim countries in Africa and Myanmar — compelled New Delhi to finally come out with its disapproval. Mukherjee said: "We have a strong stake in the security and stability of these waters, which is linked to energy security, since a very large percentage of Asian oil and gas supplies are shipped through the Indian Ocean." India has taken a strong interest in securing sea lanes in Indian Ocean and the Malacca Straits for energy supplies to East Asia. As for the ASAT test, India's real concern is not so much the space debris as is the prospect that China has taken the technological leap now to be able to target civilian space programmes, reconnaissance satellites etc. |
| Posted by: john 2007-02-04 15:40 |
| #2 Great. He's remembering a war fought 45 years ago. |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-02-04 15:39 |
| #1 See next page for Indian cruise missile goodness. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-02-04 14:13 |