There have been several occasions when China has been in the disrespectful light in the eyes of the international diplomats. China intermittently replays its degraded game of crossing the borders, masking its offense as defense, negotiating with nothing to yield and bringing the weak political system of the counterpart to heel.
The Ladakh Incursion
The most recent incursion in India at Ladakh, was another replay of its classic game. This incursion bore all the hallmarks of the Chinese game - taking the opponent by surprise, seizing an opportunistic timing and striking when the Indian political system is at its weakest.
China impudently violated the border-peace agreements with India by forcefully breaking into the Indian territory. Then to add to their impudence, they set out military demands for India to meet.
Thus, it left India with two choices - either withstand the Chinese incursion into the region controlling main access routes or to meet the Chinese demands, at the cost of irreversibly damaging the Indian military interest in a wider belt from Karakoram Pass and the Siachen Glacier. After 3 weeks of the drama, the Chinese went back but only after the powerless Government yielded some ground.
Basically, what happened was that India made a concession to the stand-off, while China, who stirred up this violation ceded nothing at all. Instead of taking some military and political action against the Chinese encroachment and attempting to avoid any such violations of the border-peace agreements, India rewarded their encroachment by breaking down its defensive structures at Chumar. All it took China was a mere 50 troops to get things done their way.
The intruded troops could not have survived the icy winter in the Himalayas for more than a couple of weeks more in the temporary shelters that they erected. Plus, if the incursion had been there for another few weeks, the Chinese greed for the territorial prowess would have shone in an unpleasant international light.
India had nothing to lose if it stood firm on its decision to yield nothing to the Chinese resurgence. Yet, India put itself under the pressure of the Chinese force over the visit of the Chinese premier Li Keqiang, who had actually stopped by at New Delhi on his way to Pakistan to congratulate the newly elected government there.
Post this ungodly event, the Chinese took advantage of India's apparent lack of self-respect by insisting that India dismantle its bunkers, destroy its defensive fortifications like live-in bunkers and cutting off the infrastructural developments at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). China seeks to encroach the Indian land in East Ladakh bit by bit and is playing small games like these to achieve its bigger goal.
By forcing India to destroy its bunkers and other fortifications in the LAC area, India has been made more vulnerable to the Chinese maneuvers and raids in the area. Razing up the bunkers has made India lose troops from the Chumar region, an event that has opened a space for Chinese to enable them to expand their sovereignty claims.
China apropos Arunachal Pradesh and J&K
While under the British rule, they demarcated the border between India and China at Arunachal Pradesh, naming it the McMohan line. This border runs a 1030 km unfenced boundary. However, Beijing never recognized this boundary and claims India of having taken away 90,000 sq. km of their land. But, China shows loss of memory when it comes to North India where they have encroached over 43,000 sq km of the Jammu & Kashmir. India has been firm, stating Arunachal Pradesh to be a part of Indian Union of States.
In May 2007, China denied a visa to Ganesh Koyu, an IAS officer from Arunachal Pradesh for a visit to Beijing and Shanghai. China pointed out that Koyu is a Chinese citizen since he belongs to Arunachal Pradesh, and hence he could visit China without a visa.
In 2009, China called the visit of Indian PM to Arunachal Pradesh as an 'audacious and reckless move'. China successfully blocked India's demand of $60 million loan from the Asian Development Bank, to be used for the development of Arunachal Pradesh. India kept mum.
To harass India, China started issuing passports on separate sheets for the residents of Jammu & Kashmir stating the territory as a disputed one. Also the e-passports of China had a watermark of China's map, which had Arunachal Pradesh in it. India showed resentment, and the Chinese stopped doing so.
In another event in 2012, when the Chinese were in Gujarat for signing a huge deal, the Chinese distributed pamphlets that showed a Chinese map with Arunachal Pradesh in it.
Completely neglecting the McMohan line, China called Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet.
Dam Diplomacy
With another recent incident involving the Brahmaputra river in North-East India, China has replayed its nefarious card by violating the rules related to International water-sharing.
In 2012, China commenced building up dams that are believed to cease the effluence of the Brahmaputra, the source of life for the entire North-East India. Ceasing the water flow from this river to North-East India, will bring the economy of the region to the heels. To bring the worst in front, the Chinese did not bother to inform about the plans of building these three dams to India, and started to build the first dam already. Experts said that if the projects were carried out, they would have devastating consequences on the lives of millions of people in India and Bangladesh.
Agriculture forms the backbone of the economy in both Assam and Arunachal Pradesh with nearly 80 percent of the 27 million people in the two states eking out a living through farming, an agriculture scientist said.
Asked about the plans to build the dams, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a media briefing here that "China has always taken a responsible attitude towards the development of cross border rivers".Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia had expressed similar concerns over eight dams being built on the Mekong river. Chinese responsibility about cross-border waters is now debatable
Spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, expressed his advice to India to treat this issue with higher degree of seriousness. China claims that the dams are being built only with an intention to draw water, but, keeping the past endeavours in mind, China has lost a hard-earned virtue of trustworthiness.
An important concern is if India will wake up on time. China lately responded positively to India's concerns about the dams, and has agreed to improve the present mechanism on sharing the data on the water flow. India believes that the dams would have an adverse effect on the flow of water in India, while China imperiously waves off this allegation. The fate of North-East Indian agrarian economy hopes to see a brighter tomorrow.
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The Ladakh Incursion
The most recent incursion in India at Ladakh, was another replay of its classic game. This incursion bore all the hallmarks of the Chinese game - taking the opponent by surprise, seizing an opportunistic timing and striking when the Indian political system is at its weakest.
China impudently violated the border-peace agreements with India by forcefully breaking into the Indian territory. Then to add to their impudence, they set out military demands for India to meet.
Thus, it left India with two choices - either withstand the Chinese incursion into the region controlling main access routes or to meet the Chinese demands, at the cost of irreversibly damaging the Indian military interest in a wider belt from Karakoram Pass and the Siachen Glacier. After 3 weeks of the drama, the Chinese went back but only after the powerless Government yielded some ground.
Basically, what happened was that India made a concession to the stand-off, while China, who stirred up this violation ceded nothing at all. Instead of taking some military and political action against the Chinese encroachment and attempting to avoid any such violations of the border-peace agreements, India rewarded their encroachment by breaking down its defensive structures at Chumar. All it took China was a mere 50 troops to get things done their way.
The intruded troops could not have survived the icy winter in the Himalayas for more than a couple of weeks more in the temporary shelters that they erected. Plus, if the incursion had been there for another few weeks, the Chinese greed for the territorial prowess would have shone in an unpleasant international light.
India had nothing to lose if it stood firm on its decision to yield nothing to the Chinese resurgence. Yet, India put itself under the pressure of the Chinese force over the visit of the Chinese premier Li Keqiang, who had actually stopped by at New Delhi on his way to Pakistan to congratulate the newly elected government there.
Post this ungodly event, the Chinese took advantage of India's apparent lack of self-respect by insisting that India dismantle its bunkers, destroy its defensive fortifications like live-in bunkers and cutting off the infrastructural developments at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). China seeks to encroach the Indian land in East Ladakh bit by bit and is playing small games like these to achieve its bigger goal.
By forcing India to destroy its bunkers and other fortifications in the LAC area, India has been made more vulnerable to the Chinese maneuvers and raids in the area. Razing up the bunkers has made India lose troops from the Chumar region, an event that has opened a space for Chinese to enable them to expand their sovereignty claims.
China apropos Arunachal Pradesh and J&K
While under the British rule, they demarcated the border between India and China at Arunachal Pradesh, naming it the McMohan line. This border runs a 1030 km unfenced boundary. However, Beijing never recognized this boundary and claims India of having taken away 90,000 sq. km of their land. But, China shows loss of memory when it comes to North India where they have encroached over 43,000 sq km of the Jammu & Kashmir. India has been firm, stating Arunachal Pradesh to be a part of Indian Union of States.
In May 2007, China denied a visa to Ganesh Koyu, an IAS officer from Arunachal Pradesh for a visit to Beijing and Shanghai. China pointed out that Koyu is a Chinese citizen since he belongs to Arunachal Pradesh, and hence he could visit China without a visa.
In 2009, China called the visit of Indian PM to Arunachal Pradesh as an 'audacious and reckless move'. China successfully blocked India's demand of $60 million loan from the Asian Development Bank, to be used for the development of Arunachal Pradesh. India kept mum.
To harass India, China started issuing passports on separate sheets for the residents of Jammu & Kashmir stating the territory as a disputed one. Also the e-passports of China had a watermark of China's map, which had Arunachal Pradesh in it. India showed resentment, and the Chinese stopped doing so.
In another event in 2012, when the Chinese were in Gujarat for signing a huge deal, the Chinese distributed pamphlets that showed a Chinese map with Arunachal Pradesh in it.
Completely neglecting the McMohan line, China called Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet.
Dam Diplomacy
With another recent incident involving the Brahmaputra river in North-East India, China has replayed its nefarious card by violating the rules related to International water-sharing.
In 2012, China commenced building up dams that are believed to cease the effluence of the Brahmaputra, the source of life for the entire North-East India. Ceasing the water flow from this river to North-East India, will bring the economy of the region to the heels. To bring the worst in front, the Chinese did not bother to inform about the plans of building these three dams to India, and started to build the first dam already. Experts said that if the projects were carried out, they would have devastating consequences on the lives of millions of people in India and Bangladesh.
Agriculture forms the backbone of the economy in both Assam and Arunachal Pradesh with nearly 80 percent of the 27 million people in the two states eking out a living through farming, an agriculture scientist said.
Asked about the plans to build the dams, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a media briefing here that "China has always taken a responsible attitude towards the development of cross border rivers".Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia had expressed similar concerns over eight dams being built on the Mekong river. Chinese responsibility about cross-border waters is now debatable
Spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, expressed his advice to India to treat this issue with higher degree of seriousness. China claims that the dams are being built only with an intention to draw water, but, keeping the past endeavours in mind, China has lost a hard-earned virtue of trustworthiness.
An important concern is if India will wake up on time. China lately responded positively to India's concerns about the dams, and has agreed to improve the present mechanism on sharing the data on the water flow. India believes that the dams would have an adverse effect on the flow of water in India, while China imperiously waves off this allegation. The fate of North-East Indian agrarian economy hopes to see a brighter tomorrow.
The Indian government really lacks spine. Somebody try behaving like this with the USA, or UK, or even the Chinese themselves, and see their retaliation.
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