Some steps were taken towards solving the long pending border dispute between India and China in the course of the Chinese Premier Wen Jia Bao’s visit to India. Even though a long distance has to be travelled in actually solving the dispute but the small progress made in that direction needs appreciation. Due to this dispute there was a war in 1962 between the two countries.

The point to be noted is the agreement between Indian and Chinese Governments on “11 guiding principles”. There is mention in these principles of the “meaningful and mutually acceptable adjustments” between the two Governments towards a “package settlement”. Mention is also there of looking after each other’s strategic and reasonable interests and of looking after principles of equality and mutual security. The Government of China has for a long time been insisting on a “package solution” to the border dispute, and its acceptance by the Indian Government has opened the gates for progressing in the direction of a solution.

There has been a lot of difference between the Governments of India and China on the basis for the solution to the border dispute. In the agreement of 11th April 2005 attempt has been made to find the mutually acceptable premises among the various positions. The announcement, agreed on by both sides, mentions that “historical evidence, national sentiments, practical difficulties and reasonable concerns and the actual state of the border areas” have been taken into consideration. It has also been made clear in the 11 principles accepted that the border should be along “well defined and easily identifiable natural geographical features”.

There is mention in the accepted principles of respecting the line of control till a final solution to the border dispute and of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas. The announcement prohibits use of force or the threat to do so. On examining the announcement it is clear that the Government of India has acknowledged the need to keep other factors in mind along with historical evidence. Actually successive Governments of India have been emphasizing recognizing the border demarcated and declared by British colonialists as the Indo-China border. On the question of border demarcation with China its whole emphasis was on the so called Shimla Border Agreement of 1914, even though current Government of China does not recognize that border and neither did successive Governments of China of the past years.

In the decade of the 1960s in the past century, the Government of India held the border announced by the British colonialist rulers to be non-negotiable and tried to impose this by use of force. The then Government of India rejected all attempts by the then Chinese Government to find a mutually agreeable solution. With the Government of India attempting to define the border by force, there was unfortunately a war in 1962 between two big countries of Asia – China and India. This war was against the interests of the people of both countries. The current stance adopted by the Government of India is definitely a positive step towards solving the Indo-China border dispute.

The progress towards solution of the border dispute between China and India is in the interests of the people of both countries and all democratic and progressive forces want a solution to the border dispute on the basis of mutual interests. At this time it will be relevant to know in whose interest the war between India and China in 1962 was, and why it was fought.

It is clear that the change in the positions of the Government of India is due to the changes in the international situation. In the decade of the 1960s the western imperialist countries under leadership of America were engaged in a life and death struggle against the socialist system. After the death of Stalin the revisionist Khrushchev clique set out to make the entire socialist block dance to his tune and to bring about capitalist restoration in socialist Soviet Union. Due to the Communist Party of China firmly taking positions on the side of Marxism-Leninism, socialism and the international proletarian movement, the revisionist Khrushchevite clique began inciting the Government of India against China. American imperialism was already engaged in efforts to encircle socialist China.

Getting the support of the then two main powers of the world, the reactionary rulers of India tried to kill two birds with one stone. Along with pleasing the imperialist powers, within the country, they saw the opportunity to alienate the revolutionary Communists and of crushing and diverting people’s struggles by unleashing a wave of national chauvinism. Revolutionary communists in India were, like their counter parts world over, supporting the Marxist-Leninist positions taken by the Chinese Communist Party in the ideological debate between them and the Communist Party of Soviet Union. In Parliament, the representatives of the ruling classes spoke of not conceding an inch of territory to China. The border (in Ladakh area) which used to be displayed as undetermined in Indian maps in the early 1950s, began to be shown as clearly delineated.

Crossing all limits in propaganda against the then socialist China, an anti-Communist hysteria was built up. The visit to India by the then Prime Minister of China, Chou En Lai, in a last bid to avert a war was made the occasion of anti-China demonstrations. It is relevant that the principles proposed by Chou En Lai for solution to the border dispute are not basically different from the principles accepted by governments of both countries recently.

But the international situation today is quite different from that in 1962. Not only that the attempt by India in 1962 to settle the border by force failed miserably. After the death of Mao the revisionist Deng clique seized power in both state and party and restored capitalism. Today China is an important part of the imperialist world economy. Imperialist America and imperialist powers of Europe are over eager to increase their share in the Chinese markets. Although the sole superpower of the world, America, along with consolidating commercial relations with China is also engaged in encircling it as it considers it to be a future competitor, it will hesitate to give military assistance to India against China. And the most important point is that, after the restoration of capitalism in China, its rulers are opposing revolutionary struggles all over the world. Today China is advanced in inviting imperialist capital all over the world and affording it opportunities for exploitation. The representatives of the ruling classes of India cite the example of China for their anti-national anti-people new economic policies. The revisionist parties – CPM and CPI – support China and are part of important representatives of the ruling classes and support the pro-imperialist new economic policies. Thus, in the current national and international situation, in order to advance their reactionary policies the ruling classes are attempting to improve their relations with China while in the 1960s – 1980s they missed no opportunity to oppose China. In fact there is no fundamental change in the direction of India’s ruling classes, rather due to the change of system in China they have changed their attitude towards it.

In the whole series of events, the progressive and revolutionary people of India should understand the class essence of ruling classes in spreading national chauvinism. Progressive and revolutionary forces support peace between countries and thus consider positive the progress in the direction of solving differences between India and its neighbours, they favour the intensification of revolutionary struggles against reactionary rulers within the country not disputes between countries. Today the rulers of both China and India are implementing policies against their own people. People of both countries have to intensify struggle against the rulers. The solution of the Indo-China border dispute will decrease one of the issues used to fan national chauvinism.