TNAG-1711-FCO40-2389-Future-British-Consulate-General-in-Hong-Kong-HMS-Tamar-1987 — Page 36

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CONFIDENTIAL

8. The Sino-Indian border dispute and China's support

for Pakistan remain obstacles to better Sino-Indian

relations. The border dispute stems from an agreement

reached between British India and Tibet (the McMahon

line) in 1914. China rejected the agreement at the time

and the dispute culminated in widespread armed clashes in

1962. Seven rounds of talks on the border dispute have

since taken place, the last in July 1986, though little

progress has been made. Tension increased in December

1986 with China protesting vigorously at the granting of

full statehood within the Indian Union to Arunachal

Pradesh, which includes the disputed area.

Troop

deployments and minor incidents followed on both sides.

9.

China took up her seat at the UN in 1971, and is a

Permanent member of the Security Council. She has

hitherto adopted a fairly low profile, and still presents

herself as a spokesman for the Third World, though less

stridently than in the Maoist era.

10. The Chinese take frequent opportunities to restate

forcefully their position on disarmament, placing the

main responsibility for reductions in nuclear and

They pay

conventional forces on the two superpowers.

increasing attention to multilateral disarmament

(chemical weapons in particular) at the Conference on

FC6AAK

CONFIDENTIAL