M A I N N E W S Beijing plays down row over disputed map in its e-passport

Ashok Tuteja/TNS

Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 7

China continues to indulge in double-speak in the latest map row with India, Vietnam and the Philippines, refusing to budge from its position that the move was purely a security measure and not aimed against any country. Chinese sources sought to play down the concerns raised by India and some East Asian countries over Chinas new e-passport, the latest bone of contention between Beijing and its neighbours. This is not targeted at any particular country, they told The Tribune. Map of discontent * India noticed that Beijing had started issuing new biometric passports depicting two areas along the 4,000-km border as part of China * One of the areas was Arunachal Pradesh while the other was Aksai Chin, a remote part of Jammu and Kashmir that Beijing had occupied after the 1962 war * Beijing had informed all countries in advance about the proposed changes in the e-passport as is the general practice under the regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, Chinese sources said * They explained that the move followed a suggestion from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security that the introduction of e-passport would help improve security effectively, preventing counterfeiting Sources pointed out that Beijing had informed all countries in advance about the proposed changes in the e-passport as is the general practice under the regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. They explained that the move followed a suggestion from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security that the introduction of e-passport would help improve security effectively, preventing counterfeiting. The controversy erupted a few weeks back when India noticed that Beijing had started issuing new biometric passports depicting two areas along the 4,000-km border as part of China. One of the areas was Arunachal Pradesh while the other was Aksai Chin, a remote part of Jammu and Kashmir that Beijing had occupied after the 1962 war. Much to the consternation of Vietnam and the Philippines, the e-passport also shows shoals and archipelagos in the South China Sea that Beijing claims almost entirely, but which is contested and, in some areas, patrolled by a number of other Southeast Asian nations. The move was interpreted as yet another crude attempt by China to keep its neighbours on tenterhooks and aggressively display its hegemonistic designs. Officials in New Delhi swiftly got into action, considering ways and means to counter the Chinese move. Though technically it was an issue concerning the Chinese passport, New Delhi felt that stamping visas to its holders could amount to endorsing Chinas stand. When New Delhi complained to the Chinese Foreign Ministry in this regard, it got no response. Left with no choice, India went in for a tit-for-tat response, covering up the controversial map that appears as a watermark on the pages of the latest Chinese passports with a specially redesigned visa that displays Indias version of the border. The redesigned visa depicts the two Himalayan regions as a part of India. Asked if the redesigned visa had annoyed the Chinese, an official source said, We are not concerned about how they react because they are the ones who started it. In response to a question, the source said there was no need for a Parliamentary approval for the redesigned visa. Meanwhile, Vietnam and the Philippines have also found ways to deal with the situation. Vietnam is now issuing visas to Chinese nationals on separate slips of paper rather than stamps affixed to passport pages to avoid approving Beijings action. Similarly, the Philippine visas will be stamped on a separate visa form for Chinese applicants.