Feeling Blue: Securing Water Resources in the Subcontinent

Abstract

The year 2010 marked the 60th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic ties between the Republic of India and the People’s Republic of China. Last December, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in New Delhi for a three-day visit. He brought along an uncharacteristically large delegation of 400 businessmen, signalling the only purpose of his visit: more business. India and China signed six business deals, announced plans to increase business to 100 billion USD by 2015 and established a Strategic Economic Dialogue1. The success of the visit was limited to strengthening links of economic diplomacy between the two Asian giants, ignoring the geopolitical and strategic issues that threaten Sino-Indian relations. The realist political parameters were restricted to the “good neighbours” rhetoric only. But at the end of the three-day tour, the fact remains that there are severe contentious issues such as the stapled visa for Kashmiri residents, terrorism emanating from Pakistan, a China-Pakistan nuclear deal, and Himalayan waters. No concrete announcements to reduce or eliminate them were made. This paper attempts to find out how the scarcity and unequal distribution of natural resources, essential for sustaining life and economic growth, can lead to international friction. The purpose is to present the relevance of the new security challenges in the Sino-Indian relationship, and to provide some principles of conflict resolution.