Beijing must wake up, have faith in its ancient Confucian wisdom and make more friends than foes
The world has been watching with concern the ingress of Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) into Indian territory and the long-drawn stand-off between the two countries that were on the verge of a war in June. India and China are not only the two biggest countries population-wise but they are also two friendly, ancient civilisations. After the 1962 War, the Chinese had occupied more than 40,000 km of Indian territory and the ties between the two countries were frozen. The ice was broken by the then External Affairs Minister AB Vajpayee, when he visited China in February 1979, and met the then Chinese supremo Deng Xiaoping.
India has always shown great maturity in the overall interest of peace despite being a victim of Chinese aggression. Hence, late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, too, visited China despite Beijing propping up Pakistan in international fora and the relationship between the two nations continued to flourish. In international dialogues on climate change, New Delhi and Beijing put up a joint front until China signed a treaty with the US on reduction of emissions. For boundary disputes, the two nations had set up a mechanism but it was resolved that the territorial conflict must not hold better relations hostage.
However, China suddenly upped the ante against India on May 5 through its incursions into Indian territory. The worst happened on June 15 when the Indian and Chinese troops fiercely clashed for six hours in Galwan Valley resulting in casualties on both sides. Since then, India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks but no significant headway has been made in resolution of the border row. Last week, India and China held a fresh round of diplomatic talks to resolve the border row as the Chinese have not retreated completely even after agreeing to do so. The Chinese intentions are to redraw the LAC by occupying vantage points. Understandably, the public mood in India has completely turned against the Xi Jinping regime. Let us examine the current imbroglio with China from the point of Indian intellectuals and the common man.
The Indian leadership, for the last 30-35 years, has been building bridges in the hope of forging sustainable ties mutually beneficial for the two neighbours. The Indian leadership remained in a fool’s paradise for a long time and ignored developing infrastructure along the borders and defence fortification until Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister.
The Government started creating a road network along the Chinese border and fortified defence preparedness, including weapon procurements keeping the Chinese and Pakistani threat in mind. The approach was purely defensive. However, the Chinese leadership saw this as a challenge to its ambitions of emerging as a global superpower.
Xi, though attending summits with Modi, was getting impatient with India challenging Chinese hegemony by not joining the Belt and Road Initiative. Plus, the fact that India did not join the 11-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership as it feared more trade deficit with these groups, further enraged Xi. The Galwan attack was a premeditated strategy authorised by the Chinese Military Commission at the highest level and the trigger point was the construction of infrastructure along the LAC, particularly the Durbuk Shyok road.
India is giving a fitting response to Chinese temerity and a stern message has gone that it is not an unprepared India of 1962. It is 2020 and has an excellent mountain combat force ready to meet the aggressor head on. In the midst of mounting tensions, the question is how the contours of the relationship between the two countries should develop. Are we ready for a war? The answer is that mature nations abhor war and opt for reconciliation. All must know that the time of bullying nations and expansionist policies is gone. Xi and his associates need to know that escalating tension with India will cost both the nations dearly, militarily as well as economically. China and its cohorts must junk the misconceptions that by bullying India, Pakistan and other neighbouring countries will get impressed by Chinese prowess.
The time is ripe for the Chinese leadership to think of the Confucian principles of humanity, righteousness, loyalty, social propriety and filial piety. These are the virtues of Indian society as well and are reflected in our international diplomacy. It is due to these similarities that we had a great bonding in the past. The Communist ideology must get these virtues back and must learn a lesson from modern history of aggressors getting defeated in Vietnam, Cambodia, Afghanistan and so on.
The Chinese leadership should read the quotes of Hu Shih, the Chinese philosopher, liberal and diplomat on the India-China relationship. He said, “India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.” In today’s world it is ridiculous to spoil relations between two emerging powers when the focus should be mutual economic gains and fighting the pandemic.
Modi stressed on the necessity to build up ties between the two nations when he said, “Our relationship has been complex in recent decades. But we have a historic responsibility to turn this relationship into a source of strength for each other and a force of good for the world”.
Xi could have delved into the historic past and forged a massive partnership with India to bring much-needed world peace for poverty eradication. War is a destructive prescription and suicidal. China must wake up, have faith in its ancient Confucian wisdom and make more friends than foes.
(The writer is a retired civil servant)
