In an era of international politics that is marked by territorial claims and expansion of power, it has been a long and hard battle for India to retain control over many of its territories, and Kashmir is in the eye of the storm. For many Indians, the problems of Kashmir are linked inevitably with Pakistan and POK is viewed as every reason for India to wage a war with Pakistan. However, many Indians overlook the fact that when it comes to Kashmir, Pakistan is not the only taker. More than 50,000 square kilometers of Kashmir's territory called Aksai-Chin lies with China. The media and the west have consistently downplayed the role China plays in the future of this once beautiful region.

This fact becomes crystal clear in the light of the recent 6-day visit paid by the Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, to India, which assumed tangential and secondary importance, due to heightened Indo-Pak tensions. Amidst growing tensions between India and Pakistan and the rally by Tibetan demonstrators in New Delhi, the visit itself was marked by talks of building strong business and economic ties between the two nations. The long-standing 4,056 kilometers of border dispute between the two nations was put aside to discuss business strategies. But as long as the border dispute remains unresolved, Kashmir will remain a torn entity, to be shared between 3 nations.