In Focus by The Hindu In Focus-Parley | Should India overlook boundary issues while normalising ties with China?
Sep 18, 2025
Vivek Katju, a former Indian diplomat with extensive experience in strategic affairs, joins Antara Ghosal Singh, a China scholar at the Observer Research Foundation, to delve into the complexities of India-China relations. They explore whether India should prioritize normalizing ties despite ongoing boundary disputes. Key discussions include historical precedents for engagement, the implications of the Galwan Valley clashes, and China's regional strategies. The duo weighs the benefits of rekindling trade against trust issues stemming from geopolitical tensions and past conflicts.
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1988 Shift: Separate Border From Other Ties
- India chose in 1988 to normalize non-border ties while keeping the border issue for later negotiations.
- Maintaining peace and tranquility along the border became the essential condition for bilateral engagement.
Patrol Deals Bought Diplomatic Space
- The Border Personnel Meeting and patrol arrangements act as the icebreaker enabling wider China-India engagement.
- China frames recent accords as patrol-management, not sovereignty concessions, while special representative talks handle the political boundary.
Border Flare-Ups Can Re-rupture Ties
- A renewed border flare-up would disrupt political and strategic relations just as Galwan did in 2020.
- China’s infrastructure and posture on the Tibetan plateau force India to bolster its own LAC defenses and spending.