Hyderabad: About ten years ago, the then Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, while commenting on Sino-Indian relations said, "During the past 2,200 years, about 99.9 per cent of the time we have devoted to friendly cooperation between our two countries." The 0.1 per cent that the Chinese premier was referring to was the 1962 war waged against India by China, in gross violation of the spirit of Panchsheel agreement between the two countries.
Again, while there was a display of bonhomie between the leaders of the two countries at Wuhan and Mahabalipuram summits, the Beijing unleashed heavy deployments that caused dense clouds of war to hover around the borders. It is a welcome development that a destructive confrontation was averted, as a result of the conclusive efforts made in the past several months. The belligerence of Beijing was reigned-in by the Indian Army that promptly made moves to checkmate its strategic advances to snatch away disputed territories from India. The Indian army took the mountainous terrain into its grip to repulse the Chinese bellicosity.
The Central Government has informed the Parliament that the two countries would withdraw their forces in a phased manner with mutual coordination. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh claimed that latest agreement will, by and large, restore the pre-May first-week situation on the borders. Not even an inch of land will be ceded to the Chinese aggressors, he said. The Defense Minister also stated that until the positions of the two sides on the North and South banks of Pangong lake are decided, patrolling by both the countries will be halted.
However, experts on Sino-Indian affairs fear that by agreeing to halt patrolling in the area considered as its own territory, India would be risking the loss of militarily strategic locations. China is a belligerent country engaged in border conflicts with 18 neighbouring countries. Experts having full knowledge about China’s expansionist strategies are warning India not to capitulate to its duplicity designs. Such warnings cannot be taken lightly.
In March 2013, when he was newly elected as the Chinese President, Xi Jinping had proposed a new Panchsheel for strengthening ties with India. The first point of that principle was to continue strategic discussions to keep bilateral relations on a proper track. Both in 1962 and during 2020, it was China that picked the fights. But on both the occasions the deliberations meant to remove the dense fog of conflict were initiated by India only.
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Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi’s China tour in 1988 had helped create a joint action team for the resolution of border conflicts. During P.V. Narasimha Rao’s tenure, the efforts were further strengthened to promote peace and goodwill between the two countries. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Prime Ministerial stint witnessed the creation of a team for promotion of bilateral trade, irrespective of border disputes.
Notwithstanding the homilies pronounced during the Summit meets every year, China never relents on its claims for Arunachal Pradesh. With its naval bases in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Pakistan, Beijing continues to tighten its noose around India.
India, USA, Japan and Australia have come together to resist the supremacist tendencies of China in the Indo Pacific ocean region. This has evidently irked China. While continuing deliberations that keep China in its limits, India should adopt a pragmatic diplomatic tactic that will continue bilateral trade. As the risks involved in laxity have been proven time and again, India should sharpen its strategies to contain the Dragon.
