People in India tend to be ‘Go-with-the-crowd’ type, where it is assumed that if something is believed by the majority, then it is right. Very few individuals actually check for facts.
In the heat of this situation that occurred on Jue 16th, 2020, in the Galwan valley and across the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India busted out in anger towards China as they crossed the boundaries of the disputed land. But it is important to look at facts to understand why China is pushing its border into India and why India is now not attacking back.
The primary reason for this is that India is trying to appease China with its policy. Starting after the new ruling party formed in 2014, India deliberately tried to make peace with China by signing various MoUs worth more than $19 billion dollars. Following a visit to China in 2015, PM Narendra Modi even announced the issuing of electronic tourist visas to Chinese nationals. It was also declared that China was delisted as a “country of concern”. India has always supported China in various ways be it in trade and commerce or on sensitive international issues that pose a threat to a particular country.
However, if we consider what China gave in return, we are left with nothing. While PM Narendra Modi was trying hard to make good ties with China, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) invaded southern Ladakh’s Chumar valley and did not withdraw until weeks later, after India agreed to demolish local defensive fortifications.
A similar incident happened again in 2016. After the Pathankot airbase terrorist attack, India immediately raised the concern at the United Nations to designate Masood Azhar the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) as a terrorist. But in response to India’s reconciliation effort, China blocked India’s bid.
In mid-2017, Indian troops were pushed into another standoff with the PLA. The PLA attempted to build a road to the India border through the uninhabited plateau that Bhutan regards as its own territory. The standoff at Doklam was the longest standoff which lasted for 73 days before China and India agreed to disengage. Through all this, China has also been provoking Nepal against India by raising the point of issue of many common areas which both India and Nepal shares.
But why India is not being aggressive after facing China’s aggression in recent years and is instead following an appeasement policy? Indian leaders have pursued a “defensive wedge strategy” to balance the power politics of Asia. In the wedge strategy, India seeks to drive a wedge between two allied states - China and Pakistan. According to defence analyst, China is working on “engagement with containment” strategy with India. On one hand, China wants economic engagement with India through dialogues to maintain the growth of its based economy. On the other hand, it is trying to contain India by frequent military standoff along the disputed border and inciting India’s neighbours against it.
In a nutshell, China’s “Coercive Diplomacy” policy against its small neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and of course Pakistan, has been about trying to grab the land. Giving huge amounts of loans to these countries for economic, trade and commerce purposes, these countries become an asset to China. It means that when they are unable to pay back the loan with interest in due years, the Chinese government can grab their offshore lands and port of these developing countries through its “Debt Trap” diplomacy.
On the other hand, India tries to acknowledge China each and every time while simultaneously trying to make ties with its neighbouring countries to avert the possibility of any war that could occur if these countries turn against India. India’s defensive wedge strategy will also weaken the relations between Pakistan and China and thus avert the danger of a two-way front war with both the neighbouring countries in the future.
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