NEW DELHI, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- China and India are trading claims of encroachment over a parcel of land in the northern Himalayas, with each staking entitlement to the territory.
Territorial claims along the militarized mountain border and brewing economic tensions between the two nations are sparking a rivalry -- and creating a diplomatic problem for the United States about how to woo each nation without offending the other, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
Indian leaders say the land is part of their country, while China claims the remote pastureland is part of Tibet, not northern India.
"The Chinese, it seems, are gradually taking our territory," Chering Dorjay, chairman of India's Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, told the Journal. "We will feel very insecure unless India strengthens its defenses."
While China and India do cooperate, they also compete over trade, energy investments and space exploration, the Journal said.
"China is trying to become No. 1," said Brajesh Mishra, a former national security adviser for India. "This is the seed of conflict between China, India and the (United States)."
The prime ministers of India and China were expected to meet during the weekend during a summit of Asian nations in Thailand. Next month, after visiting China, U.S. President Barack Obama will host a visit by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the United States.
Indian defense analysts say India needs closer U.S. ties to guard against potential hostilities with China, the Journal said.
"If China's rise is peaceful, and it integrates into the global economy, everything should be fine," said retired Brig. Gen. Gurmeet Kanwal, director of the Indian think tank Center for Land Warfare Studies. "Should China implode, it's better to have a friend like the (United States)."
