A new round of tension has been forged between China and the US as Richard Verma becomes the first US ambassador to visit Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh on October 21.
Verma posted his joy and happiness at being in such a "magical place" [Thank you (Arunachal Pradesh) chief minister (Pema) Khandu for your warm hospitality in #Tawang. What a magical place"
he tweeted], subsequently allowing himself to be photographed with Chief Ministers Pema Khandu and Sarbananda Sonowal, from Arunachal and Assam respectively, on the airstrip in Tawang.
Certainly, Verma's visit had all the trappings of facilitation by the BJP-led government at the Centre. Any non-Arunachali who visits the state needs an Inner Line permit, which, admittedly, is easy to get from Arunachal Bhavan down the road from the US embassy.
US Ambassador Richard Verma with Assam (middle) and Arunachal Pradesh (right) Chief Ministers
Then there was breakfast at the Guwahati airport with BJP Chief Minister Sonowal and the short hop to Tawang later.
Interestingly, highly-placed sources said the government had at first planned to send Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju with ambassador Verma for the Tawang festival, but then decided against it. Rijiju hails from Arunachal Pradesh.
Perhaps, Delhi realized it would be too much of a provocation to the Chinese. As it is, Beijing was upset.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said the US diplomat's actions would damage the "hard-earned peace and tranquility in the China-India border region." China was "firmly opposed" to the visit, Lu added. "We urge the United States to stop getting involved in the China-India territorial dispute and do more to benefit this region's peace and tranquility," the Chinese spokesperson said.
Here's another first: the Chinese believe the US is getting involved in the Sino-Indian border dispute for the first time since the 1962 border war.
At the time, soon after the conflict broke out, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru asked US President John F. Kennedy for help. He didn't get everything he asked for, but the Americans did send C-130 transport planes to move Indian troops as well as automatic weapons and ammunition.
After the 1962 war ended disastrously for India, the secret US assistance continued, albeit limited. US-made mortars, guns and grenades were used by India's mountain divisions to confront Chinese troops with whom they were now eyeball-to-eyeball in the Himalayas.
And although the Chinese withdrew from Arunachal Pradesh, they continued to claim as their own Tawang, the birthplace of the Sixth Dalai Lama. But Delhi increased its hold on the border area, declaring it a state in 1987 and since then insisting that nobody could trifle with the unity and integrity of India.
US policy changed quickly and radically soon after 1962, with National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger using the Pakistanis to open up to China in 1971, even at the expense of the major atrocities committed by the Pakistani army against its own people in East Pakistan and the subsequent liberation war for Bangladesh.
More than 50 years later, new friendships are being created. As the US withdraws from Afghanistan and increasingly points a finger at Pakistan-sponsored militancy - US top commander in Afghanistan John Nicholson has said that the Haqqani network of terrorists has a free run in Pakistan targeting American and Indian assets - India and the US are increasingly seeing eye-to-eye in the Indian subcontinent as well as elsewhere.
Simultaneously, Pakistan and China are once again coming much closer together, their friendship cemented by the strategic China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that runs through the length of Pakistan and in which the Chinese are reportedly investing $46 billion.
The Chinese are also protecting Jaish-e-Muhammed leader Masood Azhar who lives in Pakistan from being named a UN-designated terrorist. Nor does Beijing want to allow India to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG. India's case is being pushed by the US - although there is some grumbling in Delhi that Barack Obama is hardly doing enough.
Certainly, Delhi is, for the moment at least, enjoying Chinese discomfiture at the US ambassador's visit to Tawang. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, "The US ambassador visited Arunachal Pradesh, a state which is an integral part of the country to which he is accredited. There is nothing unusual in it."
Fact is, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi no assurances at the BRICS summit in Goa on withdrawing the "technical hold" against Masood Azhar or blocking India's NSG membership. So much so, Delhi's keenness to make terrorism the central tenet of the Goa declaration was also watered down by the Chinese.
Delhi believes the US ambassador's visit to Tawang reinforces its claim to that piece of real estate. The Indian side is somewhat unhappy that the talks on the border dispute between the two Special Representatives, Ajit Doval and Yang Jiechi, are going nowhere, although 19 rounds have concluded since 2003 when the mechanism was set up.
US Ambassador Richard Verma at the Tawang festival in Arunachal Pradesh
In 2005, both sides agreed on two "guiding principles" to help resolve the border dispute that has been lingering since the 1962 border war. They agreed that no settled populations would be moved. They also signaled to each other that India and China would keep the boundary intact on an "as-is-where-is" basis, with minor adjustments that took into account the geographical features of the landscape.
But as China began to rise, at the expense of the US, it walked back from its agreements with India around 2008. Over the last decade, China has refused to give visas to people from Arunachal Pradesh, saying that since it "belongs" to China, there is no need for a visa. Needless to add, Delhi has been furious at this reaction.
As for India's growing warmth with the US, Prime Minister Modi seems to have decided that it is important for India to develop a hedging strategy, especially between two democracies (India and the US), against its hostile neighbours to the north and the west.
Certainly, there is no alliance yet, on either side. The Americans are far too embroiled in Afghanistan to fully give up Pakistan. But the US ambassador's visit to Tawang is an indication that the Americans are willing to needle the Chinese. If this gains them more brownie points in South Block - where the Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Defence Minister work - that's even better.
(Jyoti Malhotra has been a journalist for several years and retains an especial passion for dialogue and debate across South Asia.)Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.