India-China News and Discussion

[D Roy]

X-post from PRC thread


Gentlemen,

do we have some kind of a sticky or article on Neville Maxwell's book? A lot of idiots on the web and elsewhere cite that book to propound the myth of Indian expansionism. I am just too tired to type out counters to these suckers. I would rather give them a link to a page where some objective analysis of this devious book is given. Is there any such thing here?

[svinayak]

Comment section

G2
China and US are the real power. Anyone who still thinks there is communist should go and hike in the desert.

Read Superfusion. The world will be ruled by Chiamerica.

http://www.tajikistannews.net/story/557928

[kit]

Dealing with China one should go by the snake s actions.Kashmir is now depicted as a separate state.China has upped the ante in claiming the whole of Arunachal Pradesh.Maoists are grouping in AP and has very sophisticated comm s equip and weaponry.Situation in NE can become volatile anytime.And how is India reacting ? PM is being psyched just the way Nehru was.Believe me china is buying time., push will suddenly become a shove without even India realizing it.Why cant India be proactive vs China (If you dont know how ask the pakistanis!).India does hold a card the Dalai Lama and claim POK.Through the Lama India can do a kashmir on Tibet.Why not Tibet as an independent country for starters ?

[shyam]

From the above monitor link..has UK ever said anything on Arunachal? I was not aware of that.
...
http://www.world-check.com/articles/200 ... ntry-risk/

wait till the next time Milliband comes to India...

Britain revises position on Tibet

Until 2008 the British Government's position remained the same that China held suzerainty over Tibet but not full sovereignty. It was the only state still to hold this view.[28] Britain revised this view on 29 October 2008, when it recognised Chinese sovereignty over Tibet by issuing a statement on its website.[29] Describing the old position as an anachronism and a colonial legacy, Mr. David Miliband, the British foreign secretary, even apologised for Britain's not having done so earlier.[30] The Economist stated that although the British Foreign Office's website does not use the word sovereignty, officials at the Foreign Office said "it means that, as far as Britain is concerned, 'Tibet is part of China. Full stop.'"[28] Tibetologist Robert Barnett thinks that the decision has wider implications. India’s claim to a part of its northeast territories, for example, is largely based on the same agreements — notes exchanged during the Simla convention of 1914, which set the boundary (the McMahon Line) between India and Tibet — that the British appear to have just discarded.[30]. From the standpoint of international law, British behaviour towards China in 2008 has no effect on the legal position of the Government of India.[31]

[harbans]

^Shyamji, thanks for that. Also:

NEW DELHI: In a significant development, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh snubbed China on Sunday after he reiterated that the exiled spiritual
leader Dalai Lama is an honoured guest of India and is free to travel anywhere he wishes to.

The PM issued this statement right after his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao

Dalai Lama an honoured guest, Manmohan tells China

Also:

China's claims on Arunachal absurd: Chief minister Dorjee Khandu

[Arihant]

^Shyamji, thanks for that. Also:

NEW DELHI: In a significant development, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh snubbed China on Sunday after he reiterated that the exiled spiritual
leader Dalai Lama is an honoured guest of India and is free to travel anywhere he wishes to.

The PM issued this statement right after his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao

Dalai Lama an honoured guest, Manmohan tells China

Also:

China's claims on Arunachal absurd: Chief minister Dorjee Khandu

So it is official then? That we've grown a backbone? Or are we celebrating prematurely?

More seriously, we need to learn assertiveness from the Chinese. Not the bumbling, pugancious kind that seems to be losing them friends and earning enemies the world over - but the kind that we can practice in a nuanced manner, within a moral framework that we obtain from our civilizational underpinnings....

[Suppiah]

^Shyamji, thanks for that. Also:

NEW DELHI: In a significant development, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh snubbed China on Sunday after he reiterated that the exiled spiritual
leader Dalai Lama is an honoured guest of India and is free to travel anywhere he wishes to.

The PM issued this statement right after his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao

Dalai Lama an honoured guest, Manmohan tells China

Dont celebrate so early...wait for yellow daily to come out with an 'accurate' version.

[Hari Seldon]

Dunno what to make of this sudden backbone discovery. We were always known for our jawbones anyhow.

What we see on the surface is all eyewash. Something has moved deep in the subterranean for backbone to manifest thus.

Is some sorta minimum, credible detergent against the PLA deployed already? Else, what will happen to Dilli's bravado should PLA walk into Tawang tomorrow and simultaneously open fromts in Ladakh, Uttaranchal, Spiti, Sikkim and Nepal? Just wondering amid blundering onlee....

[Jaspreet]

Question to the gurus:
Who manufactures many of the parts used in American weapons? Is it America herself or are they sourced from China?
Note: I didn't say "all of the parts." I am assuming the key components are manufactured within America.

If it is China then that would explain India's refusal to get rattled and issue a hot response like many jingos want.

One of the articles linked to above explains that India is steadily moving closer to US and that US is on the brink of major arms sales to India.

If this is true then China's strategy could be:
1. Rattle India.
2. Push India in to America's orbit.
3. Profit.

[krisna]

If this is true then China's strategy could be:
1. Rattle India.
2. Push India in to America's orbit.
3. Profit.

IMO the chipanda would love to do (1) and (3).
But pushing India to America's orbit is undoing (1). America would like to lever India against China.

[Jaspreet]

But pushing India to America's orbit is undoing (1). America would like to lever India against China.

But considering that each billion dollar Indian arms order to US would mean new jobs in China, I disagree that pushing India into US arms would be undoing (1). If anything, there's more profit to be had by keeping the pot gently stirring but never allowing it to totally boil over.

But this is just a hypothesis. If I am right, and assuming that India doesn't want to give her money to the Chinese then major Indian arms suppliers would continue to be the Russians, the French and the Israelis. If not, then the Americans would gradually take over that role.

As for America wanting to use India as a lever against China, please notice that America is engaging China more and more. Pretty soon, their interests may become so intertwined that hurting those of one may mean automatically hurting those of the other. America's public statements of using India against China may be no more than that.

Just some thoughts.

[kancha]

Is some sorta minimum, credible detergent against the PLA deployed already? Just wondering amid blundering onlee....

Or it just might be the wrong time of the year for the Chinese to mount any meaningful campaign across the Himalayas ...

[Tamang]

Hilarious article!

Territorial barmy

China’s claim that Arunachal Pradesh is nothing but southern Tibet and hence it’s part of China has had interesting repercussions. Historians have been quick to point out that the first person to conquer Tibet was Genghis Khan and if Arunachal Pradesh was really southern Tibet than it should belong, not to China, but to Mongolia. While the Mongolian government has not yet claimed either Arunachal Pradesh or Tibet, it is simultaneously dazed and entranced with the idea.

Meanwhile, the Chinese claim has also enthused the leaders of Uzbekistan, one of whom has pointedly remarked that the Mughal emperor Babar was from Samarkand in Uzbekistan. A committee of Uzbek historians is considering whether Uzbekistan can claim Delhi on that basis. Not to be outdone, Tibetans living in India have laid claim to Beijing on the basis of the tribute that the Chinese had to pay to a Tibetan strongman called Songsten Gampo 1,300 years ago. They propose to lodge a strong protest against Chinese President Hu Jintao’s recent public appearances in Beijing, claiming he had no business to be there.

Indian states have been quick to take advantage of this fascinating new trend. Tamil Nadu politicos, for instance, have lost no time in pointing out that Sumatra and Java were part of the vast Chola empire and have proposed renaming Angkor Wat as East Gummidipundi. Bihar has laid claim to Mauritius and Guyana on the basis of the thousands who migrated there. They plan to rename Mauritius as South Begusarai, while Guyana will be New Jhumri Talaiya.

Other countries too have jumped into the fray. Iran is studying whether Nadir Shah’s invasion could lead to a claim on Delhi. That has led to a sharp rebuke from Uzbekistan. Afghan president Hamid Karzai, tired of ruling his war-torn country, has applied for the post of governor of West Bengal, as Afghan chief Sher Shah Suri ruled the place some 500 years ago. A Myanmarese general claimed Assam because the Ahom people there were originally from the Shan states, part of present-day Myanmar. He was shocked when Assam turned around and claimed the Shan states instead. While historians say Pakistan and Afghanistan were part of Chandragupta Maurya’s empire, India has understandably not been very keen to claim those Taliban-infested regions. And finally, fed up with all these petty rivalries, Namibia has laid claim to the entire planet, on the basis that all human beings originated from their country before migrating to the rest of Africa and then to the world. But China insists that all those cities that have Chinatowns should belong to them.

Meanwhile the Indian government has sought to play down the Chinese threat, merely saying that it is pained and disappointed with their attitude. This has irked some Indians, who do not understand why their government hasn’t immediately de-recognised the frivolous Chinese claims on Tibet and Xinjiang. “We demand the government should immediately send Raj Thackeray to Tibet to kick out the Han outsiders there,” said a Shiv Sena leader. But a Maharashtra Navnirman Sena party worker said that rumours of Raj being forced to secretly learn Tibetan are not true.

At an emotional meeting in New Delhi, Opposition leaders claimed that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had even been seen eating chow mein at a recent public dinner. The Prime Minister’s Office has issued a strong denial, alleging this was a foul canard being spread with ulterior motives. “He was merely eating spaghetti,” clarified a government spokesman.

Manas Chakravarty is Consulting Editor, Mint

(The views expressed by the author are personal)

[Kanson]

NEW DELHI: In a significant development, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh snubbed China on Sunday after he reiterated that the exiled spiritual
leader Dalai Lama is an honoured guest of India and is free to travel anywhere he wishes to.

The PM issued this statement right after his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao

Dalai Lama an honoured guest, Manmohan tells China
Dont celebrate so early...wait for yellow daily to come out with an 'accurate' version.

If he said these just after the meeting, indeed he has snubbed China. Need to check if this is some sort of joint press meet.

Maybe China with no other option has to agree with India.

[Kanson]

Dunno what to make of this sudden backbone discovery. We were always known for our jawbones anyhow.

What we see on the surface is all eyewash. Something has moved deep in the subterranean for backbone to manifest thus.

Is some sorta minimum, credible detergent against the PLA deployed already? Else, what will happen to Dilli's bravado should PLA walk into Tawang tomorrow and simultaneously open fromts in Ladakh, Uttaranchal, Spiti, Sikkim and Nepal? Just wondering amid blundering onlee....

We have developed the backbone suddenly ? I guess not. Remember, on the return of MMS from China, he just started implementing in AP what was planned 2 decaded ago. It was said that IN was not for publicizing the Arihant. That was credited to PMO/MKN.

Regarding minimum credible deterrent, time will tell. If there is no aggression for another few years then we have minimum whatever. Otherwise there is none.

[NRao]

Else, what will happen to Dilli's bravado should PLA walk into Tawang tomorrow

Isn't it one of the most militarized zones?

Can bet that China too has a good amount of their people there.

[sanjaykumar]

NEW DELHI: In a significant development, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh snubbed China on Sunday after he reiterated that the exiled spiritual
leader Dalai Lama is an honoured guest of India and is free to travel anywhere he wishes to.

The PM issued this statement right after his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao


I have to admit, I am beginning to like MMS more and more.

[csharma]

I think India has taken note of all the anti Indian actions by Chinese such as opposing the nuke deal, supporting Pakistani terrorists at UN and the lack of progress on border talks. This has led to some hardening of India's stand.

But the following report is a little different.

http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/oct/ ... lex-pm.htm

Contrary to the information provided by the Indian side after the Singh-Wen meeting on Saturday that the Dalai Lama issue did not figure in the talks, the prime minister himself said he had told his Chinese counterpart that the Dalai Lama is an "honoured guest" of India.

"I explained to Premier Wen that Dalai Lama is our honoured guest and he is a religious leader," Singh said.

At the same time, he said "we do not allow Tibetan refugees to indulge in political activities and proof of that is that we took resolute action against some Tibetans during Olympics [ Images ] (torch relay) last year following reports that some Tibetan refugees might create problems."

To a question on the Dalai Lama's proposed visit to Arunachal next month to which China has objected, Singh said he was not aware of the Tibetan spiritual leader's plans.

[pgbhat]

Superpower rivalry, Sino-Indian style ---- Kapil Kommireddi

In the coming months and years, Beijing is going to become even more aggressive with India. New Delhi must now discard the myth of China's invincibility that has led it into appeasement, and devise a definitive China policy featuring at least three elements.

First, India should continue fortifying its side of the border with China by upgrading infrastructure, deploying troops, setting up air bases; New Delhi must yield to the overwhelming patriotic sentiment in Arunachal Pradesh and allow the formation of a local military regiment.

Second, India must deepen its engagement with Australia and Japan, broaden its military exercises with the US, and build active alliances with south-east Asian countries wary of China.

Finally, India must allow the "Dalai clique" to engage in political activity. It makes no sense for New Delhi to suppress Tibetan protesters in order to mollify an expansionist monster that has sponsored anti-India insurgencies for at least 50 years. Tibet's restive population is a time bomb whose detonator, the Dalai Lama, is with India. New Delhi must stop gagging His Holiness.

The Sino-Indian conflict will define the 21st century in a more complicated manner than the Soviet-American conflict characterised the second half of the 20th. So far, this clash has received very little attention in the west. In the not-too-distant future, people everywhere are going to have to pick sides. The troubled peace of today is necessarily a prelude to the impending war.

[pgbhat]

Wrong move in Sino-Indian chess ---- Brahma Chellaney

A US-India military alliance has always been a strategic nightmare for the Chinese, and the ballyhooed Indo-US global strategic partnership, although it falls short of a formal military alliance, triggered alarm bells in Beijing. That raises the question whether New Delhi helped create the context, however inadvertently, for the new Chinese assertiveness by agreeing to participate in US-led “multinational operations”, share intelligence and build military-to-military interoperability (key elements of the defence framework accord) and to become the US’ partner on a new “global democracy initiative”—a commitment found in the nuclear agreement-in-principle.
While Beijing cannot hold a veto over New Delhi’s diplomatic or strategic initiatives, couldn’t India have avoided creating an impression that it was potentially being primed as a new junior partner (or spoke) in the US’ hub-and-spoke global alliance system?
India—with its hallowed traditions of policy independence—is an unlikely candidate to be a US ally in a patron-client framework. But the high-pitched Indian and American rhetoric that the new partnership represented a tectonic shift in geopolitical alignments apparently made Chinese policymakers believe that India was being groomed as a new Japan or Australia to the US—a perception reinforced by subsequent arrangements and defence transactions.
New Delhi failed to foresee that its rush to forge close strategic bonds with Washington could provoke greater Chinese pressure and that, in such a situation, the US actually would offer little comfort to India. Consequently, India finds itself in a spot.
For one, Beijing calculatedly has sought to badger India on multiple fronts: military—Chinese cross-border incursions nearly doubled in one year, from 140 in 2007 to 270 in 2008, according to Indian defence officials, with “no significant increase”, to quote the foreign secretary, in the 2009 level; diplomatic—for instance, strongly protesting a prime ministerial visit to Arunachal Pradesh and issuing visas on a separate sheet to Jammu and Kashmir residents; and multilateral—launching a diplomatic offensive to undercut Indian sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh, as at the Asian Development Bank. For another, the US—far from coming to India’s support—has shied away from even cautioning Beijing against any attempt to forcibly change the existing territorial status quo. Indeed, on a host of issues—from the Dalai Lama to the Arunachal Pradesh issue—Washington has chosen not to antagonize Beijing.
That, in effect, has left India on its own. The Obama administration isn’t unfriendly to India. It just doesn’t see India as able to make an important difference to US geopolitical interests. As his secretary of state Hillary Clinton did in February, US President Obama is undertaking an Asia tour that begins in Japan and ends in China—the high spot—while skipping India.
But playing to India’s weakness for flattery, Obama is to massage its ego by honouring it with his presidency’s first state dinner. Such a glitzy affair jibes with Washington’s current business focus on India: Promoting big-ticket export items such as nuclear power reactors and conventional weapons, while prodding New Delhi to be helpful on the Af-Pak (Afghanistan-Pakistan) front.

India can wield international power only through the accretion of its own economic and military strength. In fact, the only way China can be deterred from making a land grab across the line of control or nibbling further at Indian territories is for India to have sufficient nuclear and missile capability. So, augmenting India’s deterrent capabilities to credible but minimal levels has to be priority No. 1. A stable, mutually beneficial equation with China is more likely to be realized if there is no trans-Himalayan military imbalance or Indian security dependency on a third party.

[sanjaykumar]

Some sensible articles on India China at last.

Territorial barmy is as good as it gets, although India should seriously make inquiries of China's Autonomous Mongolia how it would like to reclaim NEFA.

[svinayak]

But playing to India’s weakness for flattery, Obama is to massage its ego by honouring it with his presidency’s first state dinner. Such a glitzy affair jibes with Washington’s current business focus on India: Promoting big-ticket export items such as nuclear power reactors and conventional weapons, while prodding New Delhi to be helpful on the Af-Pak (Afghanistan-Pakistan) front.

Few nitpicks.

It is the current Indian leadership elite whose weakness for flattery has been exploited by the US administration.

[Johann]

The Tibet factor is huge in CPC Politburo and CMC thinking.

Ever since the Tibetan uprising of 1958 and the Dalai Lama's flight to India they've believed as an article of faith that every flare up in Tibet takes place with Indian instigation, and they respond by putting pressure on India.

The problem of course is that events like the 1988 and 2008 Tibetan riots have had little to do with the GoI, or even the Dalai Lama.

People like Jiang Zemin are far too old to change their minds. Until they and the people they promoted in the PLA are dead CPC thinking on Tibet, and thus India will not fundamentally change.

[Suppiah]

http://www.hindu.com/2009/10/26/stories ... 290100.htm

none of his responses on the travel plans of the Tibetan spiritual leader used the stock phrase ‘The Dalai Lama is free to travel anywhere in India’ officials have used the past few weeks

Didn't I tell ya'll...either the Stalinists are trying to find a fig leaf to cover their H&D or this is the fact - MMS has quietly abandoned AP tour plans of DL.

Me thinks it is the latter...

[svinayak]

The Tibet factor is huge in CPC Politburo and CMC thinking.

Ever since the Tibetan uprising of 1958 and the Dalai Lama's flight to India they've believed as an article of faith that every flare up in Tibet takes place with Indian instigation, and they respond by putting pressure on India.

On what basis can you tell this. Many cases of disturbances have been handled and PRC has thanked India for help.
Anglo American west has supported PRC and its position on Tibet to take care of their geo-strategic interest with USSR and Russia.

Even now it is possible that the same power may be guiding the policy of PRC for Arunachal Pradesh.

The problem of course is that events like the 1988 and 2008 Tibetan riots have had little to do with the GoI, or even the Dalai Lama.

People like Jiang Zemin are far too old to change their minds. Until they and the people they promoted in the PLA are dead CPC thinking on Tibet, and thus India will not fundamentally change.

It does not need Jiang to be dead for the change of PRC policy. Few border wars and deep problems in the PRC economy will change the Tibet policy and review of Tibet position.

[Avinash R]

China's Made in India scam continues.
First it was african nations which were duped by china by using made in india markings on fake medicines.
Now made in india label is being used to dupe EU countries.
These scamsters are out to cause long term damage to indian economy.
Hope the economist in the PM's chair takes note of this move of waging war on indian economy.

China evades EU's anti-dumping duty via India
Aditya Kaul / DNA
Monday, October 26, 2009 1:52 IST

New Delhi: China and some South East Asian countries are becoming a major source of worry for Indian revenue intelligence agencies. The authorities say some Chinese manufacturers are evading anti-dumping duty their goods would have attracted in European Union (EU) countries, by routing the same through India.

'Country of Origin Fraud' is increasingly attracting the attention of customs enforcement authorities across the world. In fact, one such case brought a European Anti Fraud Office (OLAF) team to India last year on suspicion that some goods, imported by EU countries from India, were actually of Chinese origin, sources said.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in its annual report for 2008-09 says, "Analysis of (some of the) cases detected during the year indicate that the objective was to evade payment of anti-dumping duties. Such frauds are being resorted to on account of increasing number of regional trade agreements or imposition of anti- dumping duties which impose country-specific restrictions or bestow tariff concessions on basis of country of origin of the goods concerned."

In one such case, Chinese and Indian manufacturers caused a near-Euro 1.8 million loss to EU by importing iron and steel pipe fittings. A DRI official said, "OLAF officials requested us for a joint investigation. On probing we found that these metal pipes had been exported from India between 2005 and 2008. The fittings cost around Euro 3.2 million and would have attracted anti-dumping duty to the tune of Euro 1.8 million." But the Chinese evaded the duty by sending it to India. So it was wrongly declared as being of Indian origin before being exported to Europe.

During a detailed investigation, DRI and EU sleuths unravelled the modus operandi of this trans-national racket.

The investigators found that Chinese suppliers sent pipe fittings to Indian importers who would warehouse them at Nhava Sheva port, unpack the containers and pack them again in fresh containers before it is shipped to the European buyers. The new consignments would be covered by a different set of invoices (with 5-8% value addition) and documents showing them to be of Indian origin.

"In some cases, Mumbai-based exporters arrange the certificate showing India as the country of origin, move the goods to another container and export the same to European buyers. There exist a set of companies that do not physically import or export the fittings. They are only instrumental in arranging the country of origin certificates for export to EU countries."

In another such case, sun-control films were declared to be of Singapore origin as import of the article from actual country of origin, that is Chinese Taipei, would have attracted anti-dumping duty. "In another case, imports from China, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Singapore were not only wrongly declared on the country of origin front but also under-invoiced," the DRI report notes.

http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_ch ... ia_1303114

[Singha]

headlines today is making a big show of footage on the indo-us war games in
babina. they have stationed their satellite van on a hill and seem to be showing it
semi-live.

[santoshriyer]

There seems to be a sudden drop down in the rhetoric. Was it all for nothing. Just a game by the chinese. Will the Dalai lama visit tawang? Is still the question. Our pretty MMS has evaded the question when asked. He also never expressly stated as nirupama rao did, that the dalai lama was free to travel anywhere in India, to the chinese.

The proposed visit of the Dalai Lama [ Images ] to Arunachal Pradesh next month is yet to get clearance from the external affairs ministry, according to Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu.

Addressing his first press conference after taking oath as chief minister for the second time, Khandu said he got to know about the receipt of a communication by the Tawang deputy commissioner from Dharamsala on the Tibetan spiritual leader's weeklong trip.

But the state government has not yet received any communication from the Central government, though it is expected any moment, he said.

"We are expecting it any moment," Khandu said when asked if the Dalai Lama's visit had got the clearance from the external affairs ministry.

However, the newly elected Member of Legislative Assembly of Tawang, Tsewang Dhondup, said preparations to welcome the Dalai Lama have been on for almost a month.

Khandu observed that China should not object to the visit of the spiritual leader who has been in India for the last over 50 years as a refugee and New Delhi [ Images ] should also not give importance to such objections.

"China should not also raise objection to a visit by the prime minister and other leaders, as there was no border with China. Ancient records available at the Tawang monastery prove that Tawang had border with Tibet [ Images ] only," he said.

Hope that this was not posted before.

[Philip]

TIME's take on the Indo-Sino Cold War and another article with some solid good advice to India.

A Rivalry on the Roof of the World
By Jyoti Thottam / New Delhi Monday, Nov. 02, 2009
Activists of Shiv Sena, a Hindu hardline group, shout slogans as they burn an effigy of China's President Hu Jintao during a protest against the Chinese government in New Delhi.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... -1,00.html


http://www.chinasecurityblog.com/2009/1 ... style.html

Sunday, October 25, 2009
Superpower rivalry, Sino-Indian style | Kapil Komireddi via guardian.co.uk

Superpower rivalry, Sino-Indian style | Kapil Komireddi: "

China's aggressive stance is set to leave a deep mark on the century. India must stand firm against its expansionist neighbour

The idea of China's 'peaceful rise' has always represented the triumph of imagination over reality. But over the last several months, Beijing has done enough to shatter every hope of peace in Asia. It began with an unprecedented attempt by Beijing in March this year to block a $2.9bn Asian Development Bank loan to India on the grounds that some of the cash was intended for use in the eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, a region China claims as its own. This was followed by a gratuitous broadside against India in the People's Daily, the Communist party's mouthpiece.

Military incursions into India by Chinese forces were backed up by Beijing's diplomatic assault on India's territorial integrity and pluralistic nationalism: the Chinese embassy in New Delhi began issuing irregular visas to Kashmiri Indians in an effort to legitimise separatism. And last week, Beijing officially condemned prime minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

Officially, India maintains that it is on good terms with Beijing. China's outrageous provocations manage only to elicit 'disappointment' in New Delhi. This week, Dr Singh will even meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao, on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Thailand; warm words about friendship will be exchanged. But platitudes can no longer conceal the fact that China is strangulating India. Using a combination of aid and ammunition, Beijing has drawn a hostile circle of influence around India: beginning in Pakistan (to which Beijing supplied nuclear technology) in the north-west, it runs through Nepal (to which it exported Maoism) and Burma (where it shields a dictatorship) in the east, ending in Sri Lanka (where it armed a genocidal state) in the south.

Two reasons account for China's obsession with India. The first is historical: China crawled on to the world stage on India's back. India not only became the second non-communist country in the world to bestow recognition on Mao's pariah state; it was also, in Nehru's words, the most passionate pleader of China's 'cause in the councils of the world'. When President Eisenhower offered India the UN security council seat held by Taiwan, Nehru, ever the idealist, turned it down, urging the US to offer it to China instead.

But soon, Beijing developed the arriviste's disdain for its most forceful supporter. Mao could not abide an Asia with multiple centres of power. New Delhi's decision to grant asylum to the Dalai Lama in defiance of Beijing's bullying confirmed India as a contender. China initiated a surprise multi-pronged attack on India in 1962, occupying a substantial portion of contested territory on the Tibetan plateau. Beijing retreated just as American jumbo jets, flown to aid India's assault, began landing in West Bengal. Today, Beijing actively aligns itself with India where its interests are involved – on climate change, for instance – but on a bilateral level, it views India as inconvenient competition.

The second reason goes to the heart of China's current condition. Western observers of Beijing, enraptured by the glitz of China, have long stopped examining the decay of the party that runs it. Many in the west still argue that China's economic prosperity is a precursor to political freedom for its people. But this theory, as Minxin Pei has argued, ignores the important fact that an authoritarian state is less likely to loosen its grip on a wealthy country than it would be to forego the control of an impoverished one. Last month's celebrations in Beijing bore out Pei's point: so insecure was the Communist party that, as Gordon Chang reported, a security force more than a million strong force was put in place to keep ordinary people away from the celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the 'People's Republic'; hotel rooms overlooking the procession were booked by the government; and residents in nearby houses were barred from looking out of their windows.

Chinese nationalism is a genie that serves the state. With such a fragile hold on the country, the Communist party has to invoke monsters in order to rally support. Japan has been the traditional target, but today's India vexes Beijing even more. If India can guarantee fundamental rights to its diverse citizens while managing a growth rate not far from China's – and more than make up for the low numbers with a free press, regular elections, and independent institutions – why, someone is bound to ask, can China not do the same?

In the coming months and years, Beijing is going to become even more aggressive with India. New Delhi must now discard the myth of China's invincibility that has led it into appeasement, and devise a definitive China policy featuring at least three elements.

First, India should continue fortifying its side of the border with China by upgrading infrastructure, deploying troops, setting up air bases; New Delhi must yield to the overwhelming patriotic sentiment in Arunachal Pradesh and allow the formation of a local military regiment.

Second, India must deepen its engagement with Australia and Japan, broaden its military exercises with the US, and build active alliances with south-east Asian countries wary of China.

Finally, India must allow the 'Dalai clique' to engage in political activity. It makes no sense for New Delhi to suppress Tibetan protesters in order to mollify an expansionist monster that has sponsored anti-India insurgencies for at least 50 years. Tibet's restive population is a time bomb whose detonator, the Dalai Lama, is with India. New Delhi must stop gagging His Holiness.

The Sino-Indian conflict will define the 21st century in a more complicated manner than the Soviet-American conflict characterised the second half of the 20th. So far, this clash has received very little attention in the west. In the not-too-distant future, people everywhere are going to have to pick sides. The troubled peace of today is necessarily a prelude to the impending war.

[vipins]

TIME's take on the Indo-Sino Cold War and another article with some solid good advice to India.

A Rivalry on the Roof of the World
By Jyoti Thottam / New Delhi Monday, Nov. 02, 2009
Activists of Shiv Sena, a Hindu hardline group, shout slogans as they burn an effigy of China's President Hu Jintao during a protest against the Chinese government in New Delhi.

[Hari Seldon]

China's glorious rise is destiny foretold. All who dare even think of standing in its golden path are doooomed I tell you, dooooomed.

Kapil Komireddy writes like a desi jingo on steBRoids.....Bwahahaha..... China shall rule the ground though, and let the desi jingoes their castles in the air......ha(n) ha(n) ha(n) ha(n)

Jai Han.

[harbans]

Dalai Lama's Aurnachal visit cleared

Despite objections from China, New Delhi [ Images ] has cleared Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama's [ Images ] week-long visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which will take him to the 300-year-old Tawang monastery among other places, from November 8.

Showing a copy of the Union external affairs ministry's letter to mediapersons, the chairperson of the state level reception committee, T G Rinpoche, said on Monday that the ministry had cleared the visit on October 19 and it was conveyed to Itanagar the next day.

However, Rinpoche explained, the files containing the ministry's clearance were not handed over to Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu because of the model code of conduct in force for the assembly elections.

Good going MMS.

[Hari Seldon]

Fall in Yuan Worries China's Rivals

Concerns are mounting in much of Asia as the Chinese yuan continues to weaken.

Puts paid to grandiose dreams and schemes that prc will take th lead in forging an asian/asean bloc when its interests based upon a difficult-to-change economic system are so fundamentally in conflict with that of its bloc partners - japan, soko, asean.....

[sanjaykumar]

The Dalai Lama's clearance is an important event.


It represents a serious loss of face and political capital by China. It affirms that 1962 will never be repeated.


China made a serious misclculation, worse, it shows a lack of sophistication by the Chinese.

[anishns]

^^^

I will wait for 8th of November before I comment

BTW is the Dalai Lama accorded any kind of security by the state?

[Gerard]

BTW is the Dalai Lama accorded any kind of security by the state?

He has both Tibetan and Indian security details.

[Lalmohan]

China made a serious misclculation, worse, it shows a lack of sophistication by the Chinese.

which means that there will be a retalliation somewhere...

[putnanja]

Dalai Lama India’s honoured guest, PM tells Wen Jiabao

...
...

In New Delhi, a day before the Wen-Singh meeting, the Cabinet Committee on Security empowered the PM to take a firm stand on any contentious issue raised by Beijing so that no weak political signal goes out to the country.

Government sources said that at the meeting, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee took objection to Beijing’s protest over Singh’s October 3 visit to Arunachal Pradesh and the Dalai Lama’s planned trip to Arunachal Pradesh.

Backed by Defence Minister A K Antony and Home Minister P Chidambaram, Mukherjee virtually overruled the view of External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and National Security Advisor M K Narayanan who were suggesting a rethink on the Dalai Lama’s proposed visit. Mukherjee was said to have told the CCS that a weak political message would go out to the Indian people if New Delhi were to agree to Beijing’s demand that the Dalai Lama should not be allowed to visit Arunachal Pradesh, a state he had already visited several times.

He also reminded the CCS about Beijing’s objection to Singh’s Arunachal visit during the Assembly elections. He said New Delhi must take a firm stand on such issues while continuing its deepening engagement with China.

A pity that Pranab took over the Finance ministry instead of EAM. PC has taken a tough stand on naxalism, and as expected took the right stand in this case too. Antony has been a good defence minister so far. I am totally disappointed with SM Krishna, and even more with MKN. As NSA, it is a shame that MKN took the stand he did. Add to the fact that he is the primary interlocutor with the chinese on the boundary issue, and Indians have a right to be worried! JN Dixit, we sure miss you!

[Hari Seldon]

JN Dixit, we sure miss you!

Amen!

[ramana]

I think an opening of vast Indian markets to PRC will be on table in return for quiet borders. Lets see.

One of the main reasons for China's belligerence. But one that is not much talked about in the media. However Indian industry is not about to cave in either. And that is where the sudden spine of the Indian side is coming from.

China needs India's market badly. There's a lot more low end trash in PRC factories that can be sold to a newly emergent lower lower middle class market in India (forgive the usage).

Access to Indian market was discussed. Lets see how important that is to PRC. BTW, so called hawks of PRC are really vultures.