China and Its Neighbors, Part 3: India
For Now, Asia's Giants Focus on Expanding Economies
Two children from the disputed Ladakh region carry signs pledging their allegiance to India and Prime Minister Nehru during the 1962 border war between India and China.
Economic ties are growing between India and its neighbor to the north. China sees India and its growing middle class as a lucrative market for consumer goods.
In October 1962, Americans were glued to their TVs and radios as the Cuban missile crisis unfolded, worried about the prospect of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. But halfway across the world, high in the Himalayas, India and China were at war over a disputed border region. The war ended with a large swath of the area under China's control, and thousands of Indian troops dead. China's unexpected aggression had a profound psychological effect on the Indian political and military establishment for several decades, but today, the war is all but forgotten by many Indians.
As the 21st century opens, tensions seem to be subsiding between the two Asian giants as both countries devote their energy to economic development. In the third part of a series examining China's relationship with its neighbors, NPR's Michael Sullivan reports on the view from India.
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