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India-China border stand-off keeps escalating

Madness

Member
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40478813
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For four weeks, India and China have been involved in a stand-off along part of their 3,500km (2,174-mile) shared border.

The two nations fought a war over the border in 1962 and disputes remain unresolved in several areas, causing tensions to rise from time to time. Since this confrontation began last month, each side has reinforced its troops and called on the other to back down.

The row erupted when India opposed China's attempt to extend a border road through a plateau known as Doklam in India and Donglang in China.

The plateau, which lies at a junction between China, the north-eastern Indian state of Sikkim and Bhutan, is currently disputed between Beijing and Thimphu. India supports Bhutan's claim over it.

India is concerned that if the road is completed, it will give China greater access to India's strategically vulnerable "chicken's neck", a 20km (12-mile) wide corridor that links the seven north-eastern states to the Indian mainland.

China has reiterated its sovereignty over the area, saying that the road is in its territory and accusing Indian troops of "trespassing". It said India would do well to remember its defeat in the 1962 war, warning Delhi that China was also more powerful than it was then.

On Monday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said that the border in Sikkim had been settled in an 1890 agreement with the British, and that India's violation of this was "very serious". The Global Times newspaper, meanwhile, accused India of undermining Bhutan's sovereignty by interfering in the road project, although Bhutan has since asked China to stop construction.

Bhutan's Ambassador to Delhi Vetsop Namgyel says China's road construction is "in violation of an agreement between the two countries".

I was thinking of this while reading the other thread about the world going to shit. Even if it isn't the West, it is other powers vying for geopolitical control. I do like how China has border disputes with almost every neighboring country and keeps taking land under the guise of sovereignty since historical times. Before they lost at the UN and Hague, they would cite the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea until they were found to violate it, now they say it is an internal Chinese sovereignty law matter that is only discussed between the two parties. They now are using some random agreement with the British to take key areas of Bhutan that hampers India's military projection against Chinese aggression, and not listening to Bhutan who said it violates their agreement. Meaning they won't engage the country who's land they are now building on. Going to be interesting seeing the latter half of this century as these two emerging superpowers jostle for hegemonic control with a declining West.
 

Steel

Banned
China continues to China. I really have no understanding of the people who think China would be a great world leader.
 

Madness

Member
not really. World economy would most likely crash and burn spectacularly for a while.

Yeah, these two warring both being nuclear and with the largest populations, India surpassed China in terms of economic growth and foreign investment whereas China is about to surpass rhe US in GDP nominally. India is the worlds largest arms importer being the destination of almost 15% of arms aold whereas China just behind the US and Russia in arms exports and has has 10% military budget growth yearly to over $160 billion USD now but rumored to be higher.
 
....build...that wall...?

Kidding but I assumed the Chinese and Indians were fairly peaceful to one another. A diplomatic resolution seems to be in order.
 
....build...that wall...?

Kidding but I assumed the Chinese and Indians were fairly peaceful to one another. A diplomatic resolution seems to be in order.

Both wants to be the top dog of Asia, neither are stupid enough to start a nuclear war.

Not to mention they have other troublesome neighbors than each other
 

Madness

Member
....build...that wall...?

Kidding but I assumed the Chinese and Indians were fairly peaceful to one another. A diplomatic resolution seems to be in order.

That's just it though. They keep airlifting more troops there. And India has to help Bhutan which depends on India for global and military help while China is on the sovereignty since ancient times land grab. By taking Bhutanese land there, they have the ability to monitor, watch and counter Indian defense there. It is a strategic area to India's far east,h home to many Buddhists and Tibetans and also the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh which India controls but China claims as South Tibet. China is testing the waters. If they cave, they also lose face to an increasingly nationalist mainland. If India backs down, they lose the trust of Bhutan while making their far east very vulnerable.
 

Steel

Banned
....build...that wall...?

Kidding but I assumed the Chinese and Indians were fairly peaceful to one another. A diplomatic resolution seems to be in order.

China? Diplomatic Resolution? There's not gonna be a war or anything, but they're just gonna keep pushing that border, slowly but surely, taking a road here, a plot of land there, adding forts along the way to solidify their grasp. It's what they've been doing in the south china sea. It's how they operate.
 

MaxDOL

Member
Aren't this border's conflict had been on going for decades.

I believe every times there is a skirmish between the two countries over there, China whoop India's ass every time LOL
 
The powers that be would probably want these two to goto war.

Where did this myth come from that powerful people want chaos? War is bad for business - the arms dealers gain and absolutely every other sector of the economy loses.

That's why globalization has resulted in fewer wars (we're in the most peaceful period in recorded history - WW2 was the last time superpowers went to war with each other). The evil billionaires don't want riots and chaos, they want people buying shit, and to be able to freely move goods and capital across borders. We didn't go into Iraq to destabilize the middle east, we went into Iraq to try to take out the destabilizing influence, so that we could have a friendly oil producer in the region.

Don't get me wrong - there are, for example, isolated people in the US who would love to bomb the commies because they're pining for the glory days of the Cold War. But they're vastly outnumbered by the people who want to build factories that employ those commies and to then sell shit to them. That's where the real, long-term money is - a stable system with a solid government that can fund infrastructure and make sure bandits don't hijack your shipments.
 

Chichikov

Member
China meddling in everything.
China's foreign policy is far from perfect, but from all the global superpowers, it is by far the least interventionist (though that can be a good or a bad thing, depending on your point of view).

Anyway, this border dispute has a long and complicated history, my general take on this is that both sides are trying to do what is in their immediate local best interest (which is what countries almost always do in such situations) but I seriously doubt this will escalate into a serious confrontation, it's not that important, and both sides stand to lose a whole lot with a military confrontation, even a limited one.
 

Madness

Member
This dispute happened because India was meddling in China

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Indian_War

That war was different. China was under total communist control and wanted to expand much like the Soviet Union. So they invaded Tibet. India granted Tibetans asylum including the Dalai Lama when he fled. Then the Chinese said they didn't accept the border line Britain declared before it left India and advances with troops. They decisively won and withdrew however they captured key areaa.

Aren't this border's conflict had been on going for decades.

I believe every times there is a skirmish between the two countries over there, China whoop India's ass every time LOL

There has only been one real war back in 62. Two, they are now both nuclear and the worlds first and third largest standing armies and economic powerhouses. This shit ain't funny guy. Especially when you look at increasing Chinese threats and rhetoric and land grabs all over including the South China Sea. Bhutan asked India for help here because they have an agreement for India to provide diplomatic and military support. They would rather not fight China. Likewise, China wants to keep pressing and taking land where they can. This helps them neuter Indian response in the far east. Or do you think China really cares about small tracts of land. They can't back down because they also see India the way the US now sees China as an emerging economic and military rival.
 

KillLaCam

Banned
This area dispute has been going on for half a century now. This was eventually gonna start some issues since both of these countries are becoming powerful and trying to have more influence over the region.

Border disputes dont really disappear, especially in a situation like this. This one isnt gonna get solved anytime soon. Certain that its not gonna escalate though.
 

.JayZii

Banned
I have a sinking feeling that a lot of shit is going down in the next few years and we're going to have possibly the worst possible person to steward us in the United States through it.

On a more serious note, where can I get one of those hats?
 

Ether_Snake

安安安安安安安安安安安安安安安
Both countries will be in deep shit in a decade due to overpopulation and automation. On the news it will look like Venezuela. Who knows how bad it will get externally.

Do they do Ministry of Silly Marches stuff there like they do with Pakistan?

According to the OP's photo India does but China just has some teenage soldier telling them to talk to the hand.
 

Madness

Member
According to the OP's photo India does but China just has some teenage soldier telling them to talk to the hand.

That is just the official border. There are other photos of camoed troops of both sides now around the area. The border guards on China's side are often young recruits who don't like being shown on the media or being talked to. On India's side the actual border guards are older men who wear a ceremonial style uniform. They're just there to watch and guard. Both sides do have border force soldiers that can mobilize though.
 

philz

Member
Are they not?
In a word, no. One could find multiple examples to the contrary. From my personal education, I would site both the beginning of WWI and the Cuban Missile Crisis, but I'm sure there are countless more. There is a general confidence in officials to lead us through difficult situations, but history has shown us repeatedly that in times of crisis leaders essentially lose their power to the momentum of the system. This is precisely why nuclear powers should avoid this shit at all costs.
 

MikeMyers

Member
Just caught up reading about this. Between this and China building trade routes with Pakistan on the disputed Kashmir region, it could result in something bad. Hopefully the two of them sort this out peacefully. :/
 
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