As ties between India and China grow, so does mistrust

"Somehow, even workers arguing on the road became big news" in India, said Wu Xiang, who works for a Chinese news agency in New Delhi. "It's a real reflection of how important these tensions are between the two countries."

As India's economy and global standing have grown, China has come to view India as a legitimate threat, said Vikram Sood, a China specialist at the Center for International Relations here.

"In some ways," Sood said, "it's a sign of a more assertive India, and a China trying to flex its military and economic clout."

New alliances

The new alliances each country has made in recent years have contributed to the tensions. China angered India with its "string of pearls" strategy of building ports in Burma, Sri Lanka and Pakistan that could be used by its navy. And India has watched closely as the Obama administration advocates improved ties with China.

But China is also concerned about India's relations with Washington, and some say there is concern that an India backed by the United States would have more diplomatic clout.

"As a result, China may believe that India will be less likely to reach a compromise agreement in the border dispute and can take a harder line with China," Fravel said.

Since the 1960s, China has sought ties with Pakistan -- India's perennial archrival -- including nuclear cooperation and large-scale weapons sales in recent years.

For its part, China is increasingly critical of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader who lives in exile in northern India.

"China and India are very prickly, both hypersensitive, emotional countries," said Jehangir Pocha, who worked in Beijing for three years and is now editor in chief of the Indian NewsX TV channel. "Their power has grown faster than their political maturity."

Fueling fears

Officials on both sides of the border say the Indian media have fueled fears with sensationalistic and often jingoistic reports.

The October road incident along the heavily militarized mountain border was reported weeks after it occurred, when a village leader's written complaint was leaked to Indian news stations and radio talk shows. The media repeatedly emphasized that the confrontation took place just a mile from a September incursion by Chinese soldiers, who painted huge rocks there with Chinese characters.

"It seems everyone wants to exaggerate what appears to be bad news," India's home minister, P. Chidambaram, said in an interview. "But . . . both sides are strong in their desires for a peaceful border."

Some news media outlets have defended their reporting, saying it simply reflects the deep mistrust between the two countries. Chinese and Indian media reports often include a quote from an old Chinese proverb: "Two tigers cannot share the same mountain."