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India and U.S. Forming Alliance Charles R. Smith India and the United States are building a new alliance based on trade and common self-defense. The new India is rebuilding its relationship with America but at the same time, New Delhi feels the threat of an old adversarial relationship along its northern border. The relationship between China and India has been frozen since the two superpowers fought a 1962 war on the roof of the world. The two nations battled over a largely unpopulated area called Arunachal located high in the Himalaya Mountains. Since then both have claimed large tracts of over-lapping territory including disputed areas in volatile Kashmir. A formal cease-fire line was never established after the 1962 combat, but the border has remained mostly peaceful after agreements were signed in 1993 and 1996. The dispute over the Arunachal Pradesh heated up last year when Chinese officials refused to negotiate and laid claim to the territory. Indian officials have pressed China to drops it claims on the captured territories but Beijing has stated that the boundary question should not impede progress on other aspects of the bilateral relationship. In addition, last year China reacted sharply to a report in the Indian media that Chinese troops intruded into the Indian side of Arunachal Pradesh and detained and disarmed some Indian security personnel. Story Continues Below
Chinese Foreign Ministry officials stated that Beijing has never recognized the "so-called Arunachal Pradesh." Yet, Indian claims to the territory remains a major policy issue never resolved with Beijing. The newly-elected Indian Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Dorjee Khandu has said that the entire Arunachal Pradesh is a part of India. Asked to comment on the Chinese claim over Arunachal including Tawang, an important Buddhist religious site and birth place of sixth Dalai Lama, Khandu stated "what to talk of Tawang, the entire Arunachal Pradesh is in this side of McMahon line and is an indivisible part of India." The division between China and India goes deeper than the contested mountain region. China has also been accused of supporting Maoist rebels fighting against India along the Bangladesh border. The most recent incident came when Indian police were attacked by the Maoist rebels. At least five policemen were injured when Maoists triggered a landmine blast in Giridih district of Jharkhand. Three of the injured are in critical condition. The policemen were in a car when their vehicle drove over the landmine. The conflict between China and India has also extended beyond land and people and into the far reaches of space. China has long been the source of missiles and missile technology that threaten India. China supplied Pakistan with most of its long range missile technology. The mainstay of Pakistan's nuclear missile force is the Chinese designed M-11 missile which is called "Shaheen" by the Pakistanis. China has provided much more direct threats to India. India is also the target of Chinese missile forces. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Second Artillery has two major bases with nuclear tipped missiles pointed at India. The Second Artillery 80303 Unit is headquartered in Kunming, Yunnan province. Its complement of DF-3A and DF-21 is targeted against India and Southeast Asia. The Second Artillery 80306 Unit is headquartered in Xining, Qinghai province. Its DF-4 missiles are targeted against India and Russia. In response to the nuclear-tipped threats along its border, India has test fired a long-range missile that was openly billed as being able to strike all of China's major cities including Beijing. The launch on April 12 of the intermediate-range Agni-III missile proved that New Delhi can produce a weapon capable of striking targets 2,170 miles inside China. Agni-III project chief Avinash Chander stated that a second test of the intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) would take place either in August or October. The Indian missile agency DRDO is also jointly developing a supersonic cruise missile with Russia. India started working secretly on nuclear weapons after China conducted its first atomic test in 1964, just two years after the brief but bloody border war with its neighbor. New Delhi detonated its first atom bomb in 1974 and, has tested a wide range of nuclear weapons including a massive H-bomb with the explosive power of 46 million tons of TNT. Despite its nuclear ambitions, India and the United States are forming the basis of a long-term alliance. Indian, Japanese, and U.S. Navy warships recently conducted joint exercises. In addition, the Indian Air Force is considering a purchase of U.S. made warplanes, including the F-18 Hornet or the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The Indian air force is expected to purchase up to 200 advanced fighter jets to replace aging MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-27 jets obtained from Russia. The international competition for the multibillion dollar deal is fierce with entries from the U.K., France, and Russia competing against the U.S. warplanes. The IAF is expected to make the final selection by October 2007. The Indian selection of a new advanced fighter jet is, in part, a counter-move to the joint effort between Pakistan and China to develop the FC-1 fighter. Pakistan has already taken possession of two prototypes of the Chinese FC-1 fighter and is expected to purchase as many as 150 more over the next five years. The economic and military relationship between the U.S. and India is also spurred by the fact that both nations are democracies. The shared structure allows for free exchange of ideas and markets — something that no totalitarian system such as China could ever possibly allow. This free exchange is a foundation that is jointly building an expansion of markets and information available to both sides. Unlike the one-sided flow with Beijing — the structure being erected between America and India is a two-way street. Both India and the U.S. have been attacked by the same Islamic extremists. This common interest shook up both political leaderships to recognize that we need to work together. India has been trading intelligence information with the U.S. on movement, structure, and location of possible future attacks. In an attempt to improve ties with the West and act as a mediator, India has changed its policies regarding Iran and North Korea. India has also banned all imports and exports of products to North Korea and Iran that could aid nuclear weapons development programs. The ban was announced by Commerce Minister Kamal Nath on and is in compliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions. "The government has prohibited direct and indirect export and import of materials, goods, and technology which could contribute to North Korea's nuclear-related, ballistic missile-related or other weapons of mass destruction-related programs," states the new Indian export policy document. New Delhi has "also prohibited direct or indirect export and import of all items, materials, goods, and technology which could contribute to Iran's enrichment-related, reprocessing or heavy water-related activities, or to development of its nuclear weapons delivery systems." Energy-hungry India is currently negotiating a civilian nuclear energy deal with the U.S. that will give New Delhi access to previously forbidden technology. The nuclear deal has hit snags during negotiations between Washington and New Delhi but efforts continue on both sides to finalize the sale. Editor's note: Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
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