Precarious Frontiers

Through the years, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru has leaned precariously backward to stay on good terms with Red China, to profess mutual belief in the five peaceful principles, and to sponsor Communist China's membership in the U.N. But last week in India it was becoming increasingly clear that Peking's Communists just will not be friends.

"China has launched a virtual cold war against India." grumbled New Delhi's Hindustan Times. Nehru, of course, did not go that far. But he too complained last week that, having overrun Tibet while India kept quiet, the Reds have declared Indian currency illegal in Tibet and started a crackdown on Indian traders, even refused to recognize Indian jurisdiction over thousands of Indians resident in Tibet. ("These persons who have been residing in Tibet for long periods are, to all intents and purposes, Chinese nationals," said Peking.) The chance that the 12,396 Tibet refugees in India would be able to return to their homeland soon is "very small," said Nehru.

The Deep Freeze. The Chinese now insist that even India's consul in Lhasa carry an identity card. And India's once well-treated ambassador to Peking is now getting the deep-freeze treatment previously reserved for the out-of-favor Yugoslav ambassador.

Even more distressing to Indians are China's covetous glances at the Himalayan buffer states of Sikkim and Bhutan, both of them Indian protectorates, and Ladakh, the eastern portion of India's Kashmir. Indians have long complained of "cartographic aggression" by China in mapping these areas as parts of China. At a mass meeting in Lhasa last month, China's top warlord in Tibet, General Chang Kuo-hua. went further. "Bhutanese, Sikkimese and Ladakhis form a united family in Tibet." said he. "They have always been subject to Tibet and to the great motherland of China. They must once again be united and taught the Communist doctrine." The border countries are "like lice in our clothing," said another speaker, who demanded they be "cleansed." Asked about the Red general's remarks, Nehru commented: "It would be an extremely foolish person who would make the remarks attributed to this gentleman." As for the "very large Chinese forces all over Tibet." said Nehru, India "is quite awake and alert over the matter."

The McMahon Frontier. The classic Chinese-Indian borders were set in 1914 at a meeting in Simla of British, Chinese and Tibetan representatives, presided over by Sir Henry McMahon. That meeting gave China nominal suzerainty over inner Tibet but not the right to interfere with its internal administration, and delineated a frontier between India and Tibet, following the spur of the Himalayas through wild and remote country. Declared Nehru last week: "So far as we are concerned the McMahon line is the firm frontier, firm by treaty, firm by right, firm by usage and firm by geography." Therefore he could not understand what Chou En-lai meant by referring to China's "undefined frontiers with its southern neighbors."

Nonetheless, come fall, India again intends to sponsor Red China's admission to the U.N. But no longer with the old unanimity. "Is there no limit to the humiliations and harassments we are prepared to accept at China's hands?" asked the Indian Express.

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