China Plays Down Border Dispute with India

Feb. 24, 2014 9:25 a.m. ET

Narendra Modi made a speech to his supporters at a rally in Punjab on Sunday. Reuters

BEIJING—China’s Foreign Ministry on Monday played down a long-simmering border dispute with India, brushing off a blunt comment by the front-runner to become India’s next prime minister that Beijing is set on territorial expansion.
Over the weekend, Indian opposition leader Narendra Modi traveled to an area near the country’s disputed Himalayan border with China—over which the two fought a border war in 1962—and warned Beijing to abandon its territorial ambitions. He said China “will have to leave behind its mind-set of expansion.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying denied that China has expansionist tendencies and described the territorial dispute with India as a complex and sensitive matter “left over from history.”
“I want to say that you can all see in history China has never actively launched a war of aggression to invade and occupy one inch of territory,” said Ms. Hua.
The comments by Mr. Modi followed growing apprehension across Asia over China’s ambitions. From Japan to the Philippines and Vietnam, regional leaders have criticized Beijing for what they view as aggressive measures by China to establish control over contested territories, some of which are strategically important and rich in resources.
Ms. Hua’s comments were muted compared with the rhetorical barrage her agency has directed in recent weeks toward Japan and its leader, Shinzo Abe. While rejecting Mr. Modi’s claims of expansionism, Ms. Hua also stressed the “joint efforts” taken by both sides to work through the dispute, which is centered on remote Himalayan borderlands.
Observers are watching China’s approach to relations with India, particularly given recent overtures by Japan’s government to bolster ties with New Delhi. Following a January meeting between Mr. Abe and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the countries pledged to more closely work together for stability and peace in the face of a changing strategic environment.
Harsh V. Pant, an expert on China-India relations at King’s College London, said China has toned down its rhetoric against India in anticipation of a new Indian government. At the same time, he said, Beijing is concerned about India’s newly forming partnerships with Japan and others in the region.
“China might be calculating that further pushing India into the arms of its regional adversaries might not be in its best interest, at least in the short term,” he said.
Concerned about a backlash among smaller Asian nations fearful of China’s rise, Beijing has pledged better relations with its neighbors, particularly those in Southeast Asia. But growing assertiveness by Chinese security forces, including an increasingly capable navy, in disputed waters in the South China Sea has further strained ties.
The China-India territorial dispute stems from a brief border war in 1962, which was won by China. Relations soured last spring after India alleged Chinese troops had set up a post inside their territory. China has denied any incursion.
Write to Brian Spegele at brian.spegele@wsj.com

Original post: China Plays Down Border Dispute with India