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Journalism of Courage
Apart from having the world8217;s largest population, the biggest army, a larger trade with the US than India8217;s entire exports, as well as a vision of themselves as the centre of the universe It calls itself 8216;the Middle Kingdom8217;, the Chinese must also be the world8217;s toughest negotiators. More than one Indian government has found this out, usually at the last moment and sometimes to its peril.
Rajiv Gandhi and his men were subject to some of the hardest bargaining when they arrived in Beijing in 1988. Besides the Foreign Office and then India8217;s ambassador to China K.P.S. Menon, Rajiv8217;s closest aides were also party to the effort to make it a 8216;8216;historic visit8217;8217;.
This visit, too, has been witness to some of the toughest negotiations. Hanging on to their 8216;8216;concessions8217;8217; right upto the last moment, the Chinese ended up extracting their pound of flesh. Of course, the agreement to do trade at Nathu La is significant and it is something New Delhi wanted as well. In return, it was willing to settle for a de facto Chinese recognition of Sikkim. The give on Tibet, however, has come as a surprise. Xinhua, the Chinese news agency announced it right away, saying that this is the first time that India had accepted the Chinese formulation.
The Tibet connection
The Tibet story, clearly, is not going to go away so easily. The Dalai Lama8217;s special representative Lyodi Gyari, who is based in Washington, led a team of Tibetans to Beijing and other parts of China where Tibetan monasteries are located, only last month.
On their return, they briefed the Foreign Office and pronounced themselves happy with what they had seen. First reactions from the Tibetan side on the shift in the Indian position are cautious, especially since Dharamshala cannot afford to be publicly negative of New Delhi.
The Dalai Lama and a few hundred thousand Tibetans have lived in India for the last 40 years and are grateful for the support they receive from Indians. Clearly, too, the Indians love them back.
It will now be interesting to see how the US special negotiator on Tibet reacts to the new shift in the Indian position. Foreign Secretary Sibal will presumably brief Washington when he goes there on July 1. Still, it must be pointed out that when China, barely a couple of weeks ago, picked up 18 Tibetan refugees from Kathmandu and pushed them back into the Tibetan border 8212; clearly, after permission from the Nepali authorities 8212; influential papers like the New York Times reacted badly.
Evidently, China kindly let off two young Tibetan children in the operation. The Dalai Lama is well liked by an influential section of the US elite, including filmstars like Richard Gere. New Delhi8217;s new position has opened a whole new side to the old ballgame.
Love for numbers
No story on China can be complete without a mention of their love for numbers. Deng Xiaoping8217;s Four Modernisations, Jiang Zemin8217;s Three Represents, One Country-Two systems, Wen Jiabao8217;s Three-Phased Approach to the resolution of problems with India, one million spitbags given away in Beijing during the SARS campaign, one mayor of Beijing sacked for failing to control SARS 8212; the list is endless. With little democratic space allowed to the citizenry since Confucious and through the many dynasties that followed, the Chinese clearly like order and formality in their lives.
Looks like the numbers game is now beginning to get to some Indian businessmen. Many have been heard complaining that the Chinese not only fudge their figures, but also heavily subsidise their exports in numerous and hidden ways. The truth not only lies in between but is also a subject of different calculating procedures. For example, India uses the April-March financial year system to keep its books, while China uses the January-December year.
In the last 12 months as well as in the first three months of this year, depending on who you believe, India8217;s exports to China have either gone up by more than 100 p c, 71 pc or 39 pc. As the Foreign Secretary would say, Voila!
