India, China in bid to lower walls of mistrust

NEW DELHI—Asian giants India and China hope to transform their cagey friendship into a trusting relationship as Hu Jintao arrived in New Delhi on Monday for the second visit by a Chinese president.
The world’s two most populous nations have been able to put behind the bitter memories of a brutal border war and forged new ties on the back of soaring trade and business links.
But mistrust and misperceptions left over by history linger just below the surface, creating hurdles and threatening to distract what could be a lucrative partnership between two of the world’s fastest growing economies.
No spectacular progress or agreement is expected during Hu’s four-day visit, unlike during President Jiang Zemin’s 1996 trip which saw the neighbors agree to reduce tensions along their disputed Himalayan border — the cause of their 1962 conflict. However, it is marked by the rich symbolism of a high-level visit and expectations that it could lead to moves to boost trust over time and ease mutual suspicion. “Both countries need to talk to each other regularly as they rise economically and militarily. They cannot afford mistrust and misperceptions,” said Srikanth Kondapalli, a China expert at New Delhi’s Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.
For China, much of the fear and insecurity is linked to India’s growing proximity to the United States, its traditional support for Tibetan refugees and New Delhi’s growing naval strength in the Indian Ocean. For India, it centers on China’s longstanding ties with Pakistan, its perceived attempts to encircle India with sensitive facilities and investments and what New Delhi sees as a lack of willingness to compromise on the border dispute.
One of those irritants surfaced on Monday when more than 1,000 Tibetan refugees staged a protest in the heart of New Delhi against what they said were Beijing’s atrocities in Tibet, hours before Hu’s arrival. “We want the world to know that Hu Jintao is a killer and that China must stop the illegal occupation of our country,” said Tenzin Choeying, one of the organizers.
Buddhist monks and nuns joined elderly Tibetan women and students, waving Tibetan flags and chanting “Death to Hu Jintao” and “Long live the Dalai Lama.” Hu’s agenda includes talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, speeches to business leaders in New Delhi and the financial hub of Mumbai, and a visit to Agra city to see the Taj Mahal before heading to Pakistan. The two countries are expected to sign a number of agreements to help further defence cooperation, bilateral investment protection, push regional trade and boost diplomatic, cultural and transport links, Indian officials said. “In this situation, where two rapidly developing countries are neighbors and occupy a similar position in the international system, new problems will inevitably arise even as the old ones are solved,” said Zhao Gancheng at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies.—Agencies