University of Westminster - Mountains to climb

China and India are emerging as key global players, but the disputed Himalayan border remains an obstacle to closer cooperation between the two countries. A two-day conference at the University of Westminster last week brought together experts to discuss and debate the 50-year Sino-Indian border dispute. Dibyesh Anand, associate professor in international relations at Westminster, said: "This is the key issue that prevents the two countries from establishing a stable relationship. Although both countries profess a desire to work closely to resolve disagreements and have rapidly expanding economic relations, their bilateral relationship is, by most accounts, fragile."