Opinion | India and China may have border disputes, but they find common ground on dealing with protests
- The Indian government’s authoritarian approach to dealing with protests against a recently introduced citizenship bill, including shutting down the internet in parts of the country, has found support in China
Familiar platitudes were reiterated to maintain peace and tranquillity along one of the world’s longest undemarcated borders – almost 3,500km – and this masked the various areas of discord and dissonance between the Asian giants, including China’s support of Pakistan’s opposition to India’s decision to strip the state of Jammu and Kashmir, a territory Pakistan claims, of its special status and to bifurcate it into two union territories. China also claims parts of the territory.
The official statement from the Indian foreign office noted that both sides “should respect each other’s sensitivities and concerns”. The unstated subtext here is non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.
Indian law enforcement agencies have dispersed the protests, which have at times involved violence and arson. There have been 25 deaths in different parts of the country and many more have been injured.