A Study Of India's Position On The China-India Boundary Issue From The Perspective Of Misperception

Misperception is an original achievement of Robert Jervis who introduced the theory of cognitive psychology into the international politics and opened up a new field in the micro level of the study of international politics.In short,it is to analyze the role of cognitive activities of agents in international behavior.This perception can occur at the individual level of the decision-maker or at the level of society as a whole.There are three generating mechanisms of misperception,which are cognitive coincidence,induced set and historical burden.After the misperception rises to the national will through the decision of the decision-maker,it is likely to conflict with the cognitive object.This theory has strong explanatory power in many international political practices and is also applicable to the analysis of India's attitude towards the China-India boundary issue.The China-India boundary issue involves the disputed territories,mainly in the eastern and western sections,totaling about 120,000 square kilometers.Due to historical and practical reasons,this issue has become the core issue of China-India relations,which is still difficult to resolve.The roots of the problem lie with the British colonists,but it was independent India's first Prime Minister,Nehru,who complicated and perpetuated it.During Nehru's early years in power,he made a friendly gesture towards China,trying to gain recognition from the new people's regime for India's privilege in Tibet and its territorial claims to China.After misjudging China's determination to safeguard its territorial sovereignty,India under Nehru gradually moved towards confrontation with China on the border issue and a border war occurred between China and India.Although Nehru died shortly after the end of the war,his misconceptions about China continued to shape India's attitude towards the border for decades.Meanwhile,China and India have clashed at times over the border,most recently over a disputed area known as the "Tent Confrontation" in 2013.The Indian media and military played important roles in the conflict.After a tense confrontation,Mr.Singh's government eventually moved from misperception of China to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.However,Indian society has formed a "Victim" mentality under the influence of the long-term misperception towards China,which will continue to plague the efforts of China and India to seek a thorough solution to this boundary issue in the future.Before the complete settlement of the China-India boundary issue,it is important to reduce the misperception of frictions and conflicts between the two countries and implement a step-by-step solution strategy so as to create favorable conditions for the final settlement of the issue.