Sunday, September 20, 2020

A Review Of India’s Strategies Short Of War Against A Hostile China

The Economist

Mangesh Sawant, Modern Diplomacy: India’s strategies short of war against a hostile China

Since India’s independence several peace and border cooperation agreements were signed between the India and China. Prominent among them was the Panchsheel Agreement signed in 1954. A majority of the agreements were signed between 1993 and 2013. Recently genuine efforts were made by PM Narendra Modi by engaging Xi Jinping at the Wuhan and Chennai summits. But China is nowhere near to settling the border dispute despite various agreements and talks at the military and civilian levels.

After the 1962 war peace was largely maintained on the Indo China border. During the Mao and Deng era consensus building was the norm in the communist party. XiJinping appointed himself as chairman of the communist party for life. Today power is centralized with XiJinping and his cabal. Through Doklam and Galwan incidents Xi Jinpinghas disowned the peaceful principles laid down by his predecessors. China’s strategy is to keep India engaged in South Asia as it doesn’t want India to emerge as a super power. After solving a crisis on the border China will create another crisis. Beijing has declining interest in the niceties of diplomacy. Under Xi Jinping China has become more hostile.

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WNU Editor: The above commentator is not optimistic for the future when it comes to India - China relations. It is a dark view, but one that is not alone. In the past two years India - China relations have spiralled downward, but I can also add every other state that is embroiled in a border dispute with China to this list. The Western media is focused on China - U.S. relations, but they are missing the bigger picture. As this blog has mentioned more than once in the past few years .... China has made the decision to assert its influence on almost every country in Asia, and if rebuffed adopt a strategy and policy that is hostile and confrontational. I do not see anyone backing down .... least of all the Chinese.

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