A new diplomatic incident between China and India showcases the deep divisions within the BRICS nations.
Tensions ignited again between India and China over long-standing border disputes that often put relationships between the two countries at odds. Both India and China are founding members of the BRICS and a testament to the many rivalries within the bloc’s nations.
On Monday, China’s Ministry of Natural Resources released an official “standard map” of the country’s borders. Within China’s boundaries appeared two regions that India considers part of its territory: the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin plateau.
India and China fought a full-scale war over Arunachal Pradesh in 1962. Today, the region is formally controlled by India but appears as “Zangnan” (Southern Tibet) on China’s maps.
On the other hand, the Aksai Chin plateau is controlled by China but claimed by New Delhi. It represents one of the few strategic passes between Tibet and India, crossing the highest mountains in the world.
“We have today lodged a strong protest through diplomatic channels with the Chinese side on the so-called 2023 ‘standard map’ of China that lays claim to India’s territory,” said India’s foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi on Tuesday.
Furthermore, India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar outright denied China’s claim.
An uneasy relationship
This diplomatic incident is the latest development of the border tensions between the two Asian giants.
In 2020, a small-scale battle ensued on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) dividing India and China. Both sides reported deaths, with some clashes involving melee weapons like machetes and wooden sticks.
Both China and India have deployed thousands of soldiers on the border. Conversely, India has a similarly fierce border dispute with Pakistan. All three countries have access to nuclear weapons.
New Delhi deems its border situation extremely tenuous. For security purposes, India entered a series of defense agreements with the United States, China’s main geopolitical rival. India is part of the QUAD alliance with the US, Australia, and Japan, as well as having a defensive pact with Washington.
Suffice it to say that the bond between India and the United States is much stronger than with other BRICS nations. Despite the bloc’s recent expansion, the United States remains India’s most important ally.
This recent diplomatic incident proves that, despite the BRICS Johannesburg meeting, India and China are not looking for any short-term solution.
The stated purpose of the recent BRICS expansion was also to undermine the US dollar role as the global reserve currency. To that end, India already started trading oil in rupees and other local currencies. However, politics might eventually prevail, and India will have no issue going back to the dollar in order to offset China’s expansionism.
