Time for India to Rethink its China Policy
If you are an economist India is today a happy place. More Indians are joining the middle class like never before and almost all vital indicators like poverty level, literacy rate, life span, and health are improving through out the country. Pessimism has given way to optimism. Most Indians believe that their best days are ahead of them (unlike the doom and gloom that is commonplace in the west including the United States of America).
India is clearly on it way to becoming a very important nation economically. Its strategic partnership with the United States is deepening (its relationship with the rest of the world powers are on solid grounds). The relationship with America will be the defining one for India in the next few decades. India and America are geographically very far apart but they have a lot in common. In the last couple of years the United States has taken the initiative to deepen this relationship. The United States amended its long standing laws to allow India (a country that is yet to sign the NPT) access to Nuclear technology and other dual use technology. The United States then used its diplomatic muscle and made sure that all other world organizations and powers also “accepted” India as a member of the “nuclear” club. At these meetings China was the only major world power that opposed India’s entry.
The United States clearly has its self interest in mind in helping India. Many Americans think tanks view China as the biggest threat to American supremacy in the near future. America wants to make sure that it maintains the balance of power in its favor and also that it can contain China militarily (if not economically) for a very long period of time. In the past India has resisted choosing sides. India tried hard (case in point is the non-aligned movement) but failed to be a neutral party during the cold war (India voted with the Soviet Union 70% of the time in the United Nations. By the 70’s the Soviet Union even had an office in New Delhi to “advice” India on how to conduct its foreign policy). But it is time for India to “choose” again.
India always lacked a strategic vision for itself (we are comfortable going with the flow and not making a decision until we absolutely have to). But once you become a global economic power you become a leader whether you want that position or not. So how does India see itself in its immediate neighborhood? First and foremost India should make sure that it continues to refine and strengthen its democratic institutions. We should encourage our neighbors including Pakistan to do the same. We should provide sufficient financial aid to these countries to build infrastructure, educational institutions, hospitals etc. (I am always surprised as to how we can help Afghanistan rebuild by building roads, hospitals and schools but we are unwilling to do so in Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka). There is no better way to build good will.
China is a different challenge for India altogether. China and India have a 2400 Kilometer border most of which is disputed. China is an established economic and military power but a communist state. When it comes to India and Taiwan, China has shown its willingness to flex its military and economic muscle. India has to tread very cautiously. The Congress and its allies in the Left that have ruled India for the most part since independence has been totally unwilling to acknowledge the threat that China presents. The current government is even refusing to accept what our military officials are saying about Chinese incursions on the border and Chinese planes violating our airspace.
Burying our head in the sand and thinking that the problem will go away on its own is not a good policy. Strengthening our border with China is priority number one. We should lean heavily on our friendship with America for the technology and hardware that we will need to make sure that our border with China is well protected. Trade relations with China are important (China is India’s biggest trade partner) but not at gun point. China’s tactics (constant pressure at the border, opposition to Indo-US nuclear treaty, opposing ADB loans to India, critical of Dalai Lama visiting Arunachal Pradesh, moral and financial help to militants across the border from Manipur and providing Pakistan with nuclear and missile technology) are not that of a friend. The current Chinese strategy against India is an old strategy used by many powerful nations against potential adversaries to intimidate, scare and to shift their focus and resources from real issues. India should nip it in the bud before it balloons itself into another Pakistan-like issue. India should have the strength to call China for what it really is. A local bully.
Related posts:
- Pakistani Experience Relevent Against China
- Lessons India Should Learn From Pakistan
- China Blocks India from Updating UNSCR 1267
- Nehru’s Policy Blunders on China & Pakistan?
- Time for India & China to Set Agenda
Category: News & Government