One of China's to border negotiator has proposed a land swap arrangement to solve the decade long border dispute between China and India, which has long plagued the bilateral relationship between the two Asian giants.      

Dai Bingguo, who represented China in 15 rounds of talks until his retirement in 2013, proposed the solution in an interview to the Beijing-based China-India Dialogue magazine. Dai proposed that India must willingly cede the Tawang region in the disputed Arunachal Pradesh while China will reciprocate by giving up its claim elsewhere.  

Like Us on Facebook

Dai justified China's claim on Tawang town by calling it an integral part of the Southern Tibet region. "The disputed territory in the eastern sector of the China-India boundary, including Tawang, is alienable from China's Tibet in terms of cultural background and administrative jurisdiction," he said.

The Chinese diplomat made a sweeping claim that even British colonist, who drew the McMahon Line, acknowledged Beijing's claim over the Arunachal Pradesh town. He then unhesitatingly suggested that if India addresses Beijing's concerns in the eastern sector then the Chinese government "will respond accordingly and address India's concerns elsewhere."

According to Indian analysts, the word "elsewhere" pertinently points toward the disputed Aksai Chin region, which Indian government claims to be an integral part of Jammu and Kashmir region. The disputed Aksai Chin is located in China's Xinjiang province, which is apparently China's only Muslim dominated province.    

Both Asian giants even fought a war in 1962 over the Aksai Chin region, over which China took complete control after claiming victory in the war.     

Dai minced no words as he squarely blamed India for not meeting China's reasonable demand, adding that both countries now "stand in front of the gate towards a final settlement" and the Indian side holds the key to the gate.  

Dai Bingguo's comments on border dispute assumes huge importance given that he shares a close report with Chinese leaders and resultantly his views are immensely respected in China's power corridor. He put forward a similar comment on the border issue in his book that was published last year.   

Both countries have held total 19 rounds of talk over the border dispute, with last four being held after Dai resigned in 2013. The 19^th round of talk was held in Beijing last year between India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China's State Councillor Yang Jiech.   

The Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin issues supposedly figured in each round of these talks, but apparently have made little progress over both the tricky border issues. India stakes claim over the 38,000 sq km territory in Aksai Chin region, while China considers nearly 38,000 sq km in Arunachal Pradesh region to be part of Southern Tibet.  

Tagschina, China and India, China and India Border Dispute, Dai Bingguo, Tawang