Lessons from Sino-Indian border issue

Second, political guidelines need confidence building measures to back up. In 1993, China and India signed an agreement to maintain peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control which is the basic guideline for the border issue. This guideline was followed by military confidence measures in 1996 and then the border defense cooperation agreement in 2013. As a result, confidence has grown and measures have started to take effect.

China and Japan recently agreed to restart negotiations on a maritime liaison system, which includes steps to avoid incidents between Chinese and Japanese military ships and aircraft. Similarly, China and ASEAN have agreed to start negotiations on a code of conduct in the South China Sea. These are good news, but compared with the China-India confidence building measures, these efforts are still at a very early stage and should be followed through seriously.

Third, addressing territorial disputes requires patience and perseverance. China has resolved 90 percent of its land border disputes with neighboring countries, but the Sino-Indian border is a thorny issue complicated by colonial history and geographical complexities. In the South China Sea, the dispute is no less complex. It involves five countries with overlapping claims.

China supports "the ASEAN way" of resolving differences through consensus and consultation and comfort to all. China's proposal of "shelving differences and making joint exploration", in a way, complements "the ASEAN way". Right now China and Brunei are working toward joint oil exploration. The Chinese and Vietnamese militaries have announced the setting up of a confidential communication link. China has also proposed to be the first country to set up a hotline with ASEAN. It remains to be seen how these efforts work out, but the hope is that they will enhance mutual trust and set an example in potential areas of cooperation.

Territorial disputes are not rare in the world. In Asia, a European Union-type "pooling sovereignty" is next to impossible. However, the Chinese and the Indian governments have demonstrated, in a convincing way, how countries with territorial disputes can safeguard their sovereignty without resorting to war.

The author is an honorary fellow with the Center of China-American Defense Relations, Academy of Military Science.