Relations between India and China have been worse for decades over a variety of issues. Land and territorial issues have been the most dominating of the various issues of tensions between the two nations. In spite of China's offending stance against India over these issues India has managed to maintain a positive and eager will to get sorted with these issues and develop a healthy relation with its neighbor and the largest trading partner, which will be in interest of both the nations on both economic and strategic front.
China has always tried to disturb India's priorities by raising issues like issue of stapled visas to the people belonging to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, refusal of visa applications of the people belonging to state of Arunachal Pradesh, etc. With the launch of its state-run mapping website 'Map World,' China has again raised a cause of concern for India and Indian government. It has been reported that in this mapping website the two territorial regions of dispute between the two nations, i.e. Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin in Jammu and Kashmir, have been shown as Chinese Territory.
China has always claimed the state of Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet and therefore consider it as an integral part of its territory, although, it is a part of India and falls under its constituency. Also, Aksai China area, which India asserts as part of Ladhakh in Jammu and Kashmir has been represented as part of China's Xinjiang province.
Both these areas are part of the border dispute being negotiated between the two nations, which so far have held 14 rounds of bilateral talks.
'Map World' has been launched in Chinese language and is considered as a rival to 'Google
map integration'. Apart from the Internet, 'Map World' is also being used in I phones and other mobile and Internet applications in China.
India must address this issue and ask for quick amendments in the 'Map World' through bilateral talks. But, India must not get provoked and derail from its top economic and strategic priorities, as this is what China wants India to do.
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