Beijing’s border talks veteran goes out with Hu Jintao

BEIJING: The leadership change in Beijing is likely to have a huge impact on India's relationship with China, for, retiring along with president Hu Jintao's team is state councillor Dai Bingguo, the chief negotiator in border talks with India since Atal Behari Vajpayee's Beijing visit as Prime Minister in 2003.

China is expected to soon name a new special representative for border talks to replace Dai, 70. It's not clear whether the next Chinese negotiator will be totally new to the Indian scene or someone with some knowledge of it. The new scenario may cause a communication gap between the foreign ministries.

New Delhi has changed its national security advisors and negotiators for border talks over the past nine years, but Dai has represented Beijing, beginning with Brajesh Mishra, followed briefly by JN Dixit, then MK Narayanan and now Shiv Shankar Menon.

"This could be an opportunity for India to start on a fresh note. But the new leadership will first examine the situation on the ground in Tibet before formulating its approach towards India," Srikant Kondapalli, professor of Chinese studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, told TOI. With neither the new general secretary Xi Jinping nor the next premier Li Keqiang having visited India in more than a decade, the change of the chief negotiator could significantly impact Sino-Indian dialogue.

The first sign of whether Xi is considering a fresh look at the China-India relations would come with the appointment of the next special representative for boundary talks. If he chooses someone who has been assisting Dai, it would mean he is seeking continuity in policies. Appointment of a new person might signal change, sources said. Xi is expected to look at the China-India border talks from the Tibetan prism because Dalai Lama lives in India and continues to influence the thinking among Tibetans in China and the world, Chinese government sources said.

Xi took over as the head of Tibet Work Forum, the highest body in Beijing dealing with the situation in the mountain province, in March 2011. There are signs Xi's first priority would be to stem the tide of self-immolation by monks and other Tibetans protesting against the Chinese government.