In a context of intense cooperation between China and India under new policy regimes and globalisation,this Essay argues for reviving normal pattern of relationship among people along the frontiers of China and India. These provinces besides being away from the administrative,industrial and production hubs are also marked by one of the highest concentrations of poverty in the Asia-Pacific region,and continue to encounter problems of political legitimacy engendered by geography,history,culture,racial factors,lack of specialized skills,capital formation. Revival of natural relationships may be the strategy for development of frontier provinces of China and India,through construction of trade corridors,exploitation of cultural similarities and enabling participation of communities,even fostering links through a third country. As nationalities or communities sharing similar socio-cultural or primordial oneness are interspersed on both sides of the boundary,it is argued that ethnic communities can be made to play a role in translating ethnic affinities into a lasting,effective,and substantial cooperation:beyond the state-centric security concerns to improve human security. Trading activities along China and Indian frontiers are usually controlled by non-local 'other' people,who are ethnically/racially different from the communities settled at the frontier. Therefore,systematic encouragement of participation of people may negate perceptions of exploitation,domination and alienation by the exclusionary tendencies of trade. These factors which engender contest against the state in the frontiers of China and India can be rectified through encouraging participation of people in the activities of China-India cooperation. Trade along the China and India frontiers may never reach economies of scale and may be statistically insignificant but it can make huge difference to the lives of people living along the frontier. This Essay argues for more border trade points,rather normal trade through the borders and ensuring participat
