Recently, the first anniversary of the new Kailash-Mansarovar yatra route via the Nathu La pass in Sikkim was observed. It will be recalled that the first batch of pilgrims took the new route last year to cross over into Tibet to carry out their pilgrimage. Although the earlier route via Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand remains operational, the new route is considerably shorter, safer and more comfortable. Located around 56 km from Gangtok, the road to Nathu La is one of the highest motorable roads at round 4,000 metres above sea level. This makes it possible to undertake much of the journey by buses while reducing the trekking distance from 200 km previously to just 35 km.
The opening of the Nathu La route was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China last year and is the culmination of positive diplomacy between New Delhi and Beijing. It also highlights the fantastic job that the Chinese government has done to provide quality infrastructure in Tibet’s difficult terrain. In 2014, I had witnessed first-hand the excellent roads and railway lines that have been built across Tibet. Although I haven’t been to Kailash-Mansarovar, I can vouch for the amazing development that has graced Tibetan cities like Lhasa. In fact, given Tibet’s mindboggling scenic beauty, I hope more tourists are able to visit this wonderful landscape in the future.
Coming back to the opening of the Nathu La yatra route, this kind of soft cooperation between India and China is precisely what is needed to build mutual trust. It’s unfortunate that the bilateral relationship continues to be haunted by the legacy of 1962 despite the fact that things have changed dramatically in the intervening decades. China today is not our enemy. It is at best our rival and competitor. This means that we can have our differences and yet embark on mutually beneficial cooperation. In this regard, Chinese economic investments in India are much-needed to kickstart the domestic growth engines and create local jobs.
As far as the differences are concerned, both New Delhi and Beijing know the solutions, whether it is the border dispute or relations with Pakistan. Yet each side is restrained by historic, political and domestic compulsions from enacting these solutions today. In such a scenario, a better approach would be to properly manage the disputes and leave the solutions to future generations. In the context of Pakistan, this could mean India supporting China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ project of transnational connectivity. China has already committed massive infrastructure investments for Pakistan as part of this project. But these will only fructify if Pakistan is able to provide security and crack down on local terror groups. And this in turn is bound to help India.
Hence, New Delhi supporting the Chinese ‘One Belt, One Road’ project makes sense. Similarly, until India’s border dispute with China can be resolved, mechanisms to ensure that the border remains peaceful need to be continuously enhanced. This would involve regular meeting of border troops, frequent political and military dialogues, and periodic exchanges. Many of these things are already underway. Add to this initiatives like the opening of the new Kailash-Mansarovar yatra route, and you have a platform of peace and cooperation for future generations to build on. For given the number of people in both countries, India-China collaboration in any field can have a transformative impact not just on Asia but the entire global community. New Delhi and Beijing must not lose sight of this.
