Only our economic and military strength can improve India-China Relations.
The seminar, "India-China Relations – The Essential Differences" organized by the Freedom First Foundation is timely. Many points have been made by the participants and the following are most important observations which deserve to be heeded by our people and their representatives:
"We have to depend on our own strength and we should not expect the world to come to our rescue. We have the capability and the manpower to do so. We require the political will and the necessary equipment." " We should develop an offensive capability, this defensive attitude is ruinous."
( Brig.S.C.Sharma (Retd.).
" In a world where America invades Iraq because of oil interests, where people break their promises from day today, how is it that we think we are bound to keep our position on Tibet ?" (Col.Ravi Joshi).
"So China has large scale growth but they have large scale problems as well. Those problems are their strengths as well as their weaknesses. It depends on how they deal with them.I think we need to play to our strengths, not to our weaknesses." (Ms.Meera Sanyal).
The repeated terrorist attacks on India by ISI-inspired entities have deflected our interest in the Chinese threat to India. Some of the recent developments like Chinese opposition to the visit of the Prime Minister and the Dalai Lama to Meghalaya and intrusion of Chinese troops in the Indian Territory forbidding our nomads from grazing their cattle shows the continuing Chinese threat to India. A report even suggests that China wants to control the area where the Indus River starts in Ladakh.
Apart from providing military ( including nuclear technology) to Pakistan, China has extended its foot-print in our neighbourhood – Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka – through economic and military assistance. It has been colourfully described as 'a string of pearls' around India. It is a sort of containment policy to confine India's influence within the region.
It is sad that India has yet to learn its lesson on Chinese expansionism. If we do not wake up in time and soon, we may be heading towards a repeat of 1962, as observed by Maj.Gen.Eustace D'Souza (retd.).1962 is the result of our "credulity and negligence" as our past President Dr.S.Radhakrishnan had commented at that time. We seem to be continuing the same attitude in spite of the great strides made by the country in the meanwhile. The Chinese have developed excellent transport system ( roads and train) in Tibet up to our border areas whereas on our side in Meghalaya there is hardly any development.
Communism in China is written in Chinese characteristics. China follows the teachings of Sun Tzu in The Art of War than the teachings of Karl Marx in the Das Capital. And Sun Tzu says : " To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."; " All warfare is based on deception." The Chinese attitude towards other countries is that of over-lordship – middle kingdom, and towards its own people – mandate of heaven ( rulers, not representatives). Obedience, not dissent, is a virtue. Though China has adopted free enterprise (capitalistic economic development), it is still far away from freedom of thought and expression which go with free enterprise. Some observers have pointed out the many problems facing China – pollution, unemployment, rural poverty, arbitrary acts of the cadre, corruption etc. External enemy is an easy way to divert people's attention.
India has to ensure economic development especially in the rural areas, build a strong defense force and help countries of the South Asia to become economically strong. The recent step taken by the government of India to help Bangladesh with a billion dollars for its transport system is a step in the right direction. India should lower tariff on imports from South Asian countries and provide assistance in technical education to empower people in all these countries. We should be partners in progress.
Indian economy is likely to grow by about 8/9 percent in this decade, especially if the government goes ahead with the reform agenda – labour reform to encourage industrial growth ( experts say that China became the workshop of the world because of cheap labour), disinvestment of public sector enterprises, spread of education including vocational education to avail the population dividend ( India has the largest number of youth), and public investment ( irrigation, seeds, drip-irrigation) in agriculture. An economically strong India can become militarily strong. This strength will improve our relations with China, Pakistan and other countries.
Lastly, India needs to have institutions which monitor what is happening in China, Pakistan, USA and other countries which affect India's growth – economic, political and military. These institutions should bring out reports periodically to educate Indian people and the politicians. Reports in newspapers are brief and specific which are ignored by the people. In-depth analysis is rare. USA has many such institutions like Brookings Institution, which publish reports and books from the US point of view.
January 18,2009.
*****
