Page 344 - SSB Interview: The Complete Guide, Second Edition

triggered the Opium Wars. During World War II, India and China played a
crucial role in halting the progress of Imperial Japan.

Relations between contemporary China and India have been characterised

by border disputes, resulting in three major military conflicts — the Sino-
Indian War of 1962, the Chola incident in 1967 and the 1987 Sino-Indian
skirmish. However, since the late 1980s, both countries have successfully
attempted to reignite diplomatic and economic ties. In 2008, China emerged

as the largest trading partner of India and the two countries have also
attempted to extend their strategic and military relations.

Despite growing economic and strategic ties, several issues continue to

strain Sino-Indian relations. Though bilateral trade has continuously grown,
India faces massive trade imbalance heavily in favour of China. The two

countries have failed to resolve their long-standing border dispute and Indian
media outlets repeatedly report Chinese military incursions into Indian
territory. Both nations have steadily built up military infrastructure along
border areas. Additionally, India harbours suspicions about China’s strong

strategic relations with its arch-rival Pakistan while China has expressed
concerns about Indian military and economic activities in the disputed South

China Sea.

China and India are separated by the formidable geographical obstacles of
the Himalayan mountain chain. China and India today share a border along

the Himalayas and Nepal and Bhutan, two states lying along the Himalaya
range and acting as buffer states. In addition, the disputed Kashmir province
of India (claimed by Pakistan) borders both the PRC and India. As Pakistan
has tense relations with India, Kashmir’s state of unrest serves as a natural

ally to the PRC.

Two territories are currently disputed between the PRC and India: Aksai
Chin and Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal Pradesh is located near the far east

of India, while Aksai Chin is located near the northwest corner of India, at
the junction of India, Pakistan and the PRC. However, all sides in the dispute

have agreed to respect the Line of Actual Control and this border dispute is
not widely seen as a major flashpoint.