India’s China strategy needs to be debated

Context:

The Chinese have a knack for making headlines on India’s borders. The latest move, in April, saw them “renaming” 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which they consider to be “Zangnam” or, in English, “South Tibet”. 

Long-held tactic, much provocation:

• The “re-naming” of disputed territories has been a long-held tactic of the Chinese government, and this is the third batch of “re-naming” with reference to Arunachal Pradesh. 
• India has lost access to 26 out of 65 Patrolling Points (PP) in eastern Ladakh, according to a research paper submitted by a senior police officer at the annual police meet in Delhi, last December. 
• The “play safe” approach has turned areas that were accessible for patrolling by the Indian Army into informal “buffer” zones, resulting in the loss of pasture lands at Gogra hills, the North Bank of Pangong Tso, and Kakjung areas. This is a matter of national security and of grave concern. 

Factors leading to India’s aversion to denouncing China:

• Growing power differential between India and China.
• Uncertainty about strategic actions of major powers like the US in case of military stand-off.
• Military capability differential between India and China.
• Pressure from Indian business interests to safeguard trade.
• Lack of consensus within various ministries of government about response to Chinese threat.
• Refusal to permit basic discussion of China in Parliament on grounds of national security.

Lessons for Indian response today:

• India failed to be assertive in the 1950s and left too much for too late.
• Reinforcing border defences and building infrastructure on Indian side may prepare India to resist a Chinese sweep.
• However, it does not deter Chinese build-up and continuing “salami-slicing” tactics on disputed frontier.
• Acknowledgment of the problem is necessary for initiating a process of resolving it.

These considerations have led to the emergence of overcautious self-restraint on the part of the Indian government, marked by a refusal to permit even a basic discussion of China in Parliament, on the grounds of national security. 

China’s assertive image building exercise:

• As a one-party state, China, once anchored in the “peaceful rise” theory, is now about showing strength, determination, economic might and an unwillingness to compromise on what it sees as its core national interests.
• China’s public image is a source of its vulnerability. It has always had a fear of being isolated in global affairs, hence its assertiveness today is accompanied by diplomatic overtures with its uncompromising military determination. 

Conclusion: 

When dealing with the Chinese, India must always remember Mark Twain’s observation, that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes. It is time for an urgent debate in Parliament on India’s China strategy.                         News Source: The Hindu