Chinese media’s anti-India rhetoric over the last few weeks – since the beginning of the India-China standoff at the Dokalam area of the China-India-Bhutan tri-junction, in Sikkim, on June 16 – is quite unprecedented.
Amid heated verbal exchanges, Indian media have warned too of the possibility of a conflict. However, New Delhi has made to two smart moves to cool tempers.
Firstly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had an informal meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7. While Xi hailed Modi for India’s economic growth and its fight against terrorism, Modi acknowledged the progress made by the BRICS bloc under the leadership of Xi.
Then, on July 11, Indian foreign secretary S Jaishankar said in Singapore that although differences may crop up from time to time between India and China, such issues had been sorted out through diplomacy in the past. He hoped the present stand-off too could be resolved that way.
At a briefing late on Friday, the Indian government told opposition party leaders that the border standoff would be resolved through talks. Back-channel diplomacy has already begun. India’s National Security Adviser Ajith Doval will discuss border disputes at a BRICS national security advisers’ meeting in China from July 26-27.
A long standoff with India would be an unwanted headache for China, which is due to host the ninth BRICS summit, in Xiamen, in September. The likelihood of India and China agreeing to withdraw troops from the dispute area soon is growing.
Deep distrust
Although India is confident in its position at Dokalam, China may also challenge it elsewhere, such as at Tawang, along the Arunachal border, which China considers as southern Tibet.
India’s move to ignore China’s requests and allow spiritual Tibetan leader Dalai Lama to visit Tawang in Arunachal in April this year angered Beijing. Further, India boycotted China’s Belt and Road summit in Beijing over sovereignty concerns. China was likely just waiting for an opportunity to flex its muscles.
While diplomacy may resolve the Sikkim border standoff, there is deep distrust between the two Asian giants.
From India’s standpoint, China is blocking its entry into the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group and foiling its attempts to make the UN declare Masood Azhar, the chief of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor running through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is another matter of concern for India and one that influenced its decision to skip the BRI summit.
India sees China’s recent move to set up a military base in Djibouti, on the north-western edge of the Indian Ocean, as part of that country’s expansionist agenda. China has military alliances and assets in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
Malabar Exercise
China, for its part, is watching with concern the joint naval drills involving India, the US and Japan in the Bay of Bengal, which began last week. It sees the ‘Malabar Exercise’ as a strategic message by the US not to mess with India and a ploy to drive a wedge between the two South Asian neighbors.
China says its base in Djibouti will be used to resupply navy ships taking part in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions off the coasts of Yemen and Somalia. Dismissing Indian fears, it says the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will not pose any threat to India’s integrity and sovereignty.
China recently expressed its willingness to mediate between Pakistan and India on Kashmir amid increased hostility along the border. By rejecting the offer, India has lost an opportunity to bring lasting peace in South Asia, according to Beijing. India wants the Kashmir issue to be resolved bilaterally.
Although China and India disagree on several issues, there is still reason to be hopeful that pragmatism will prevail in defusing the current standoff near the Sikkim border.
Why leave so soon? Wait until the harvest time, and you can even bag some with your. With 3000 man on 70 squares, you can bag a lot. But remember bag your waste with you too.
Nice new toys in North East. Oh did we say we has some on Tibetan plateau too… some 200 km away from New Delhi, and uphill as well.
Now it is time to start the process of creating glorious 10 new nations in South Asia.
Why the author is not mentioning the anti-china rhetoric from India’s media
You could look how they instigate hatred and spread lies toward chinese in their media (TV and newspapers) and internet, leave alone that they write even books instigating people to see China as a threat, enemy and to suggest to start a war.
They are treating China as an enemy with everything that they do?
It is good to see that India and China are inching toward some solution to the flare-up on the Sikkim border.
BRICS Summit could speed up this process. Chinese media is softening its stand on India and wants China to keep
calm seeing India’s rise. Warmongering must stop and both countries should be allowed to sort out
their differences over their border.
While Malabar drills are underway in Bay of Bengal, China has begun war exercises in Tibet. Such power games are bold statements between countries. The standoff at Dokalam tri-junction is another bold statement. The lesson is simple — no country can act as a hegemon. Superpowers know their limitations.
India and China are not going to clash at border to satisfy warmongers. Diplomacy will prevail and both troops will withdraw from the troubled spot. What we witness now at the border is a mind game.