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Image Source: Canva | Designed: Surbhi Dhanawat |
Before straightaway
diving into my blog on the 2020 India China border standoff, I would
like to discuss with you, my reader, of something that has gained a high level
of prominence or significance in today's sphere. International affairs
are today, more than a mere subject. It is different from history, even though
it has a distinct overlap over the latter wrt. events of importance, or wars,
invasions, treaties, etc. that have defined generations altogether. Simply put,
for a layman, international affairs, is something he would relate with the way
relations or alliances exist between various countries and happenings which
define them, the causes for the same, etc. I, however, tend to believe that in
the present interconnected world, it stretches far beyond traditional
definition and encompasses all sorts of activities, be it geopolitics, trade,
commerce, arts, science, culture, technology, etc. Just as humans have
relations with each other, countries have it too, the only difference being
one's choices or interests at heart. Some might argue that's the same case with
humans too.
You may be able to
recollect your thoughts and go back to a 73 day period in 2017, sometime
between June and August in the same year. A tense situation prevailed. Things had
come to a standstill, and a feeling of 'Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai' seemed to
have disappeared into thin air. As you might have guessed it, the Doklam
standoff was a brief period of tension between the world's two most
populated countries. It was resolved diplomatically after a 73-day standoff and
dialogue. Things seemed to get back to normal, but what is it truly like? What
was it truly like? Was it the first time? Why was this happening? And let me
tell you, this is not the first time such an event has happened.
As I write this blog
today, a high-level meeting between senior commanders of the Indian Army
and the People's Liberation Army has been held at Chushul-Moldo,
outcomes of which are unknown to me yet. The Indian Army delegation, led by 14
Corps Commander Lt. Gen Harinder Singh sought a return to 'status quo as of
April' in his meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Maj. Gen Lin Liu, a
meeting which lasted more than seven hours. However, the ongoing standoff may
not return to normalcy with one military scale meeting. There might be high
level diplomatic or political dialogues as well, in the coming days.
This ongoing
standoff, in the Himalayan border as well as the recently risen 'Boycott
Chinese Goods' (or related activities) taking place in India right now, got
me to think, do a good level of research and sit down and write a blog about
the same. Today, it is about the gloomy story of a powerful dragon and a mighty
elephant, both known for their powerful characteristics in a wide forest of
nations, nation-state players and onlookers.
WHAT IS THE 2020 INDIA CHINA BORDER
TENSION ALL ABOUT?
Unlike Indian and
Pakistan which has an 'agreed upon Line of Control' (commonly known as Radcliffe
Line) to demarcate their territories, the LAC, the Sino-Indian border is
not clearly demarcated. It is evident that encounters and clashes are,
therefore, unavoidable. Border skirmishes are not uncommon in the ~4000km LAC
(most of which is disputed by China). There have been numerous instances where
companies (units of soldiers) of PLA soldiers have marched into Indian
territory, only to be stopped and asked to politely return to their territory
by soldiers of the Indian Army and the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
As a matter of fact, when the brawls were in its early phase, the Chief of the
Indian Army, Gen. M.M. Naravane, was unworried. As stated earlier, a lot
of temporary and short scale face-offs do take place. It was only after events
started repeating that the set the alarm bells ringing.
The tensions that
started to build up in April 2020 between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh
ended up taking a physical form on May 5th 2020 near Pangong Tso Lake, located
at 14,000 ft (4270m) above sea level in the Himalayan region of Ladakh. As was
evident from videos and images seen on social media, soldiers from both
countries engaged in fistfights and stone pelting at the Line of Actual
Control (LAC), widely considered as the 'de facto' border separating the
two countries. If that was not enough, a few days later, approximately 1200km
East of the LAC, another fight erupted at the Nathu La Pass (Sikkim)
between soldiers of the two forces. According to various sources in popular
news media (at both national and global levels), approximately 80-100 tents
have been spotted on the Chinese side, and more than 10,000 PLA soldiers are
believed to be camping near the Pangong Tso Lake, Galwan Valley and
Demchok (Ladakh) and in Nathu La (Sikkim). Some Chinese troops have even
penetrated 3-4km into the Indian border. In a nutshell, thousands of Chinese
troops were reported to move into sensitive areas of the Eastern Ladakh border,
bringing with them heavy defence equipment and machinery and vehicles for
movement. The Indian Army responded by moving several battalions to areas along
the border.
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| Source: Al-Jazeera |
If the 2017 Doklam
Standoff was due to the Chinese constructing infrastructure at the
tri-junction point, this time, it is our infrastructure activities that have
triggered the ongoing standoff. In the past couple of years, and more so
recently, India has been aggressively pushing and constructing border
infrastructure, with new roads, airbases and other means of strategic
infrastructure coming up in border areas. That being said, Indian officials
remain apprehensive about Chinese infra scaling activities in Ladakh near Daulat
Beg Oldi (World's highest airstrip) and Demchok (a strategic village).
According to Ashok Kantha, a former Indian Ambassador to China (presently,
director of Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi), incursions and border
aggressions on the aggressively contested high-altitude border are 'far from routine occurrences'. However, according to the Ministry of External
Affairs, the issues would be resolved according to agreements on border
management signed by both countries between 1993-2013.
A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF INDO – CHINA RELATIONS
Together, India and
China account for over 2.7 billion people on this planet, which is slightly
over one-third of the global population. India and China have both attained a good
level of economic advancement in recent decades and are powerful countries in
Asia, owing to their ambitions and clout over neighbouring countries and how
Asia is seen as a powerhouse in the world.
India was one of the
few earliest democracies to diplomatically recognize China in 1950. Things
changed after the 1962 Indo-China War on the Himalayan front, with China
administering some serious damage on India and taking hold of a few
territories, before returning them and getting back to the LAC. China still
claims over 35,000 square kilometres in the North East Indian front, including
a large part of the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Relations were further strained
between the two countries in 1959, when exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama
fled Tibet (during a failed uprising against Chinese oppression) and took
refuge, establishing a government-in-exile in Dharmashala, India. In 1993, the
two giants of Asia signed an agreement on "Maintenance of Peace and
Tranquility" along the LAC.
If we look at the international
scenario, China has forever blocked India's entry as a permanent member
into the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and has also
conditionally blocked India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG),
demanding, rather insisting on Pakistan's entry into the same. India, unlike a
lot of her neighbours, has refused to be part of Beijing's Belt Road
Initiative (something which has not been well received by top officials in
China). China has been constructing roads, and other infrastructure in Pakistan
occupied Kashmir as well, to further increase the ire of Indian officials.
The Chinese media is not to be left behind when it comes to highlighting Chinese dominance and authority
over India or any other country it frequently engages with. On May 25th, the Global
Times, a state-run Beijing Newspaper stated that the Galwan valley region
was a part of the Chinese territory. In every standoff that has occurred
between the two countries, the Chinese Media has always portrayed their goals
and agendas, asserting claims which are not mutually agreed or accepted upon.
This is far from normal PLA behaviour. This time, the incursions are happening
in areas China hasn't previously claimed (The Galwan Valley was overrun by
China after the 1962 war but handed back).
IS IT THE FIRST TIME? HOW IS CHINA PLAYING TO ITS MOVES?
If you've read till
here, you already know the answer to this question. No. And again, Doklam
standoff wasn't the first one either. According to P. Stobdan, there
have been standoffs previously at Depsand (2013), Chumur (2014) as well. After
the Dalai Lama visited Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh in 2009, China began
issuing stapled visas for people from Arunachal Pradesh, as if they didn't
belong to the Indian territory. For Chinese academics, China has no
'dispute' in the Western sector, indicating that for China, the valley
means J&K and not Ladakh. Few PLA commanders even refused to travel to Leh
for Confidence Building Measures (CBM) to avoid upsetting its relations
with Pakistan.
In December 2010,
when Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao visited India, Chinese state-owned media
carried reports describing the Sino-Indian border as only 2000km long, way too
short than the 4000+km mark. In May 2015, when the Indian Prime Minister
(PM) Narendra Modi visited China, the Chinese state-owned television showed
India's map without J&K and Arunachal Pradesh. In 2017, after the Dalai
Lama visited Tawang, a Chinese Ministry renamed at least six places in
Arunachal Pradesh. In 2019, Chinese officials destroyed over 30,000 world
maps which didn't show Arunachal Pradesh or Taiwan as part of their
territory. In April 2020, digital maps (Sky Map) in China showed various parts
of Arunachal Pradesh as part of their territory. The last official border
settlement China had was with Tajikistan in 2011, when it got over 1100 square
kilometres east of Sarekole Mountains. The area was conveniently added by China
to Tashkurgan. Well, before it seems like a normal geographic addition,
Tashkurgan was formally an Indian Territory, a part of Shakgam Valley.
WHY IS THE INDIA CHINA STANDOFF IMPORTANT IN PRESENT TIMES?
The latest Chinese
incursion can be against the backdrop of India's cartographical changes
made in November 2019, following the bifurcation of J&K into two separate
union territories, J&K and Ladakh. That being said, this also seems to be a
move by the PLA to assert a territorial claim over the Aksai Chin
Plateau. The division of J&K into two territories was considered by Beijing
as 'unacceptable', one which undermined its sovereignty. It even raised the
issue at the UNSC. For China, any attempts to alter the Ladakhi demography is
seen as a threat to its sovereignty. For them, Aksai Chin is a part of China
and India, claiming Ladakh as its territory would be seen as harming its
strategic interests in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
Under the Chinese President Jinping, China has also tried to assert control
over Hong Kong, Taiwan and make its presence feel in the South China Sea.
For India, the road
which runs along the Shyok River to the west of Chinese positions in the
valley, it is more than a matter of mere strategic importance. This enables
India to move troops for patrols or reinforcements in the area, to respond
to skirmishes or crises. India's strategic intent has been firm since ever. Off
late, she has reclaimed the entire PoK in accordance with the February
1994 Parliamentary resolution. India has also shown serious interests to regain
her physical position in Gilgit-Baltistan. Unlike China's, India's assertion
comes for mainly thwarting tribal or Talibani advancement into India
from the Wakhan corridor to gain illegal access into India. Ladakh now has a
100km long border with Afghanistan's Badakhshan province. The Indian
Metrological Department (IMD) included areas of PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan in
its daily weather forecasts. This comes days after Pakistan Supreme Court
permitted the federal government to hold elections in Gilgit. For India,
Ladakh's new status is an internal matter, not having an impact on the LAC
status. However, if China manages to enter the Shayok valley and establish a
base there, India's access to the Karakoram Pass and Siachen could be a
massive problem. The Modi-led government plans to build more than 60 key
roads by the Chinese border, including a new airbase, and this is, as I think
enough to fuel the wrath of the dragon. Again, US President Donald Trump's
offer to mediate is part of an ever-growing anti-China narrative.
One thing is for certain.
India is being pushed by China in all sorts of ways to make the first
military move. This would certainly alter the relational dynamics between
both the nations. For both nations, the border problem is not new. The only
difference lies in the circumstances surrounding them. As we know, a nationalistic
wave drives both countries. This pandemic has taken a heavy toll on China
as well, pushing many countries to the anti-China narrative.
ANTI-CHINA NARRATIVE
Before ending this
blog, I will also attempt to throw some light about the recent 'Anti –
China' narrative that we've all been hearing or witnessing in some or the
other way. Is it practical? I will state a few facts and will leave you, my
reader, to make a choice for yourself. Where can I start? Chinese products are
cheaper compared to products made anywhere in the world and more than the
quality, our minds are trained to look at the cost of a product before making a
purchase. More than 70 percent of global mobile phones are made or assembled in
China. Your popular brands like Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo etc. are all made in China.
We, Indians, are the biggest users of Tik-Tok with over 460 Million users.
China only has 170 Million Tik-Tok users for that matter. To add to it,
technical issues in its servers make the app vulnerable to hackers, thereby
compromising your data. And this is one such app. In India, popular Chinese
apps have, at an average of more than 10 Million downloads per app. If we look
at economics and trade, India has a trade deficit by almost over 4.2 lakh crore
to China. So, even if China is playing by its book and is pestering India in
making the first move, how successful will it be? How will this boycott of goods further aggravate the already strained relationship between both countries?
Beijing has to deal
with more serious issues at this point. That does not mean that this standoff
is any less serious. It has to deal with its economic recovery and has to do a
lot to mend ties with the US, Australia and the world. India's support for
Tibet and its ever-growing ties with the US, Japan and Australia have raised
the dragon's eyebrows. Further, China's increasing relationship with Pakistan
and Nepal is not a piece of soothing news to the Elephant. How far will the
nations go this time? With the Elephant and Dragon flexing their muscles for
more regional and economic control, one can only wish that these differences
don't end up becoming disputes.
**I would like to
take a moment to thank my friend and blog reader Vinayak Ezuthachan for
his research and inputs related to the boycotting of Chinese goods. He is an
avid reader, muser and an aspiring stand-up comic.
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