In any India vs China debate, democracy always tilts the argument in India’s favour. But on the question of allowing US Fulbright scholars to visit to do research of their choice, it’s the iron-fisted, security-conscious, non-democratic China which wins the liberal argument.

So while the UPA government sits on visas, forces scholars to even change their subjects — as being reported in The Indian Express — China doesn’t even have a special visa clearance mechanism for scholars. Here, visa approvals have to come from at least three ministries of Home, HRD and MEA, and sometimes even the Ministry under which the subject falls.

In 2006, 94 American Fulbright scholars went to China. US officials say China does not impose any restrictions — no red or green channels as India is working on. The visas for research scholars are no different from tourist visas, which these scholars can obtain from Washington in a couple of days. Under the UPA, visas have been delayed up to 21 months.

Official records show that Beijing doesn’t quite fret about what the scholar wants to research. Look at some “red-flag” subjects China has allowed Fulbright scholars to research in 2006:

• Dilemmas of development among Tibetans in the People’ Republic of China.

• Memories of Money in China — from Revolution to Reform

• NGOs and legal development in China — shifting state-society relations

• From Empire to Nation: Chinese economic thought in transition

• Stalin’s Ghost in China — Soviet Reform, the Great Friendship and China’s special path (1945- 1960)

... contd.