China is becoming stronger economically and militarily year after year. Given its size, its view of itself in historical terms, its claims on India, on Taiwan, in the South China Sea, etc, its rise has implications for the region and beyond. As China grows muscles, it will flex them. China’s opaque political system adds to concerns as it makes its conduct unpredictable. Countries hope that prosperity and integration with the global system will make China more responsible and more transparent internally, adding to confidence levels abroad. While a policy of containing China would be imprudent, yet it cannot be given a free hand in Asia. Other players in the region have to caution China about political and other costs of seeking domination. It is hypocritical of China to have reacted so sharply to the joint naval manoeuvres of US, Japan, Australia, Singapore and India in the Bay of Bengal.
Each of these countries have a robust economic relationship and a strong policy of engagement with China. But engagement does not mean acquiescence to Chinese hegemony in Asia. It was perfectly in order for India, as it strengthens its ties with China and holds the beginnings of naval and army exercises with it, to seek to strengthen relations with Japan in particular, including through joint exercises. China shows scant respect for India’s security in the sub-continent; indeed it threatens it in various ways directly and indirectly. There is no call upon India to defer to China’s sensitivities with regard to its own relationship with the US or other important Asian countries.
Also read: Trends in space weaponization
Indeed, China’s calculatedly ambiguous position on India’s permanent membership of the Security Council as well as on opening doors of international co-operation in India’s civilian nuclear sector indicates a serious adversarial posture towards our rising aspirations. If Russia, Britain and France can support India’s candidature, and these countries with the US in the lead can support us on the nuclear issue, why shouldn’t China, if it wishes to build a strong, forward-looking, co-operative relationship with India as the second biggest Asian power.
The satisfaction we seem to derive from semantic play by the Chinese on these two issues reflects our mental acceptance of an inferior status vis-a-vis China and our readiness to be patronized by that country. We should not demand equality from China, we should behave as equals. We should protect our interests more forcefully. Our border infrastructure should be developed rapidly. Our strategic programmes must be accelerated. The Prime Minister’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh in January is a very welcome development. It should signal to the Chinese that Tawang will remain ours.
Please wait...
