Janata Party President Subamanian Swamy on Tuesday said there was "real danger" of India and China entering into a border conflict by "miscalculation" and the two nations should hold talks to remove "mutual insecurity."
"There is a real danger of India and China entering into a border conflict by miscalculation. Just as we are highly suspicious of every event that represents a change in the Chinese attitude, they are also noting some changes in our attitude, which they are playing up there," he told reporters in Chennai after returning from a four-day visit to China.
China for example, was considering as an "unfriendly act," India's decision to not encourage visa applications for skilled and semi-skilled Chinese workers, he said. These problems could be solved by direct talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, he said, in an apparent reference to their possible meeting on the sidelines of ASEAN summit in Thailand next week.
Foreign Ministers of the two countries who would attend the trilateral meet of RIC (Russia, India, China) at Bangalore next week should also discuss the issue, Swamy said.
Saying that India and China have to be friends in the interest of the region, as well as the world, Swamy said the two Asian giants face common problems.
"The instability in Pakistan is a factor which will affect China as much as it affects India. We should collaborate on the question of Islamic fundamentalism, which affects their state of Xinjiang (as) it will also affect our country," he said.
Swamy said he had pointed out some issues during his interaction with, among others, a think tank associated with China's policymaking, regarding the border dispute.
"The Chinese reject the MacMahon line for Arunachal Pradesh on grounds that it is British-made, but accept it for Myanmar. I am surprised that the Indian side has never raised this with China," he said.
On China's objection to Manmohan Singh's recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, he said it should be ignored.
However, India should not now highlight the border dispute, but focus on economic cooperation and strategic partnership, he said, adding "we should not allow other forces to disrupt the growing Sino-Indian friendship." PTI
