Tuesday, February 11th, 2025

China extended hands to reduce tension in relationships! Why should the Modi government not blindly trust him/her?


New Delhi : There has been a slight warmth in relations between India and China. Kailash Mansarovar Yatra will start again. Both countries have also agreed to start direct flights. There was tension in the relationship between the two countries since the 2020 Galwan conflict. Now the two countries have agreed to move forward to remove mutual concerns and bring back relationships. But it is important to see this improvement from the right perspective. There are many basic issues in India-China relations, which cannot be easily ignored. After all, why is it necessary for the Modi government to step up? Why can’t you trust China right now? Let’s understand. India will have to assess whether there has been any fundamental change in China’s attitude towards India. So far, the answer seems to be ‘no’. From border disputes to trade, technology and China’s military activities in the Indian Ocean region, there are many areas where China dominates bilateral relations. Let us see how China is showing its strategic strength and India should do to gain power balance.

Lac deadlock
Despite the withdrawal of the army at Depsang and Demchok in East Ladakh in October last year, China continued to strengthen its military status and infrastructure along the Line of Real Control (LAC). The 3,488 km long LAC, which is the real limit between the two atomic-powerful neighbors, extends from East Ladakh in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east. Our colleague Times of Indian quoted defense sources as saying, ‘The development activities of the infrastructure of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continue in several places with LAC. For example, in the past it is happening in Rongto Chu and other valleys. ‘

China is continuously working to reduce the strategic profit in the strategically located Yangtse in the important Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh that India gets by controlling high land or ridgeline in the plateau from where it is looking at the status of PLA Can According to sources, in addition to the new military camps and its Tangavu double -used Ziakang border village from LAC, in addition to the concrete road, the PLA has also upgraded some raw routes there so that a large number of soldiers when needed are needed when needed. Can be ‘extended’.

According to satellite imagery analyst Nature Desai, China is constructing two new roads from Lampug to Tangavu during the current winter months in Yangtse, with a road to provide alternative contact and high land to its soldiers. he/she claims that it will provide the PLA ‘clear view of Indian ground communication lines’ in that region.

Salute-blissing strategy
The deadlock of Doklam did not stop the bloody skirmish of the Galwan Valley, and China has been emphasizing that the border issue should be kept aside to ‘normal’ the overall relations. In other words, China wants to return to the status quo without any guarantee that PLA will shut down its ‘salute-blissing’ strategy with LAC. In December, the TOI+ published a detailed report as to how China has secretly built at least 22 villages and settlements in Doklam, years after the PLA was removed from the strategic plateau in Bhutan.

In 2017, a 73-day deadlock between Indian and Chinese troops was seen in Doklam, located close to Tri-Junctions between India, Bhutan and China. New Delhi strongly opposed China’s efforts to build a road there, which could increase the strategic vulnerability of the Siliguri Corridor, which is a narrow land route between the mainland and the northeastern states of India. Additionally, the Chinese army is focusing on establishing final-mile contacts in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, Naku La in North Sikkim and some other areas of the eastern region.

Areas such as Yangtse, where there was a clash between rival soldiers in December 2022, asphal and Subansiri River Valley in Arunachal Pradesh, which have been under Indian control for decades, remain the major flashpoints among rival forces. All this suggests that there is no definite roadmap to solve the border issue. Do not forget that India and Bhutan are the only two countries with which China has not yet signed the border agreement, while Beijing has resolved the land border disputes with its 12 other neighbors.

Mega Hydel Projects
Then, there are concerns about China’s plan to build a mega dam on Yarlung Jungbo (Brahmaputra River) in Tibet. The planet’s largest infrastructure project is estimated to be project, the proposed dam will be located near Arunachal Pradesh. This dam of $ 137 billion will allow China to flood off Assam or closure the taps and drive it drought. Defending its decision, Beijing has said that hydroelectric development in the low -lying areas of Yarlung Jungbo will not have any adverse effect on the lower areas and resolved security issues through decades of study.

Hydal Project

China’s mega hydel projects

But analysts in India are not confident. Some say that China’s move should be served as a warning on the need to consider the construction of water infrastructure as a strategic imperative on the banks of the Himalayan rivers. Additionally, the project site is located along a tectonic plate range where earthquakes may occur, thus indicating a tick ‘water bomb for the lower areas in India.

India unveiled a plan to construct a multi-purpose reservoir in Arunachal Pradesh to combat the impact of the proposed dam in the Chinese side, but the project, for which pre-influential survey work is yet to begin, gave birth to local protests Has given. People from Siang and upper Siang districts of the state fear large-scale displacement as well as an adverse environmental impacts from the proposed 11,000 MW hydroelectric project.

From Gwadar to Hambantota, expansionist China’s increasing influence
China’s military power continues to expand in the Indian Ocean region, causing New Delhi to increase its naval capacity. The Gwadar port manufactured by China in Pakistan is a double -used infrastructure project, meaning that it will fulfill the strategic purpose of Beijing to use it as a naval base when needed.

Located on the Indian Ocean, this port became a major project in the 2015 China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). CPEC has invested billions of dollars in large -scale transportation, energy and infrastructure projects as part of Beijing’s International Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). According to a strategic analyst, the Gwadar Port ‘will provide anti-access/area Daniel (A2/AD) capacity to China, and will increase its power projection and intelligence capabilities in water adjacent to the hormuz strait. In this sense, it should be seen parallel to the Chinese military base in Djibouti (in East Africa). ‘

Hambantota port in Sri Lanka has become a widespread example of China’s hunter debt-strategy. The port, funded by Chinese debt, was leased to Beijing in 2017 in a 99-year loan-ke-by-equity swap, when the island failed to pay the national loan. The move created global concerns about Beijing gaining strategic property away from home by providing heavy loans and investment to small countries.

In August 2022, the Chinese detective ship Yuan Wang-5 was docked, causing concerns in India that it could regularly use Sri Lanka as an operational turnout facility by Chinese warships. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumar Disnayake, during his/her recent visit to India, assured New Delhi that it would not allow his/her region to be used in any way against India’s security.

Business and technology
Despite the border tension, India’s trade deficit with China has crossed $ 100 billion, which indicates a significant imbalance in trade between the two countries where India imports more goods than the export from China. This can create challenges for the Indian economy, although the incentive related to production (PLI) scheme is showing some good signs.

According to the attitude of ‘self -sufficient India’ and large Make in India initiative, the PLI scheme tries to strengthen the manufacturing spine, reduce dependence on imports and balance development with stability.

According to government data, by August 2024, a total of Rs 1.46 lakh crore was seen in the scheme, with exports to more than Rs 4 lakh crore. Experts suggest that the Union Budget 2025 may include strategies such as promoting research and development, expanding the PLI scheme and focusing on diversity in supply chains to reduce the dependence on sugar imports.

In the technical field, China has gone far ahead of India. The best example of this is recently developed Artificial Intelligence Deepcic. It can simulate the performance of American chat GGPT and that too at a very low cost. India is nowhere in AI game.

In addition, there are reports that China is actively trying to limit the transfer of high -tech devices in India, making it difficult for foreign companies to transfer its operation here. If Beijing continues on this path, it will have important strategic effects in the entire Indo-Pacific region.

For example, Taiwan’s strategic value as a semi-conductor powerhouse will end if China wins a technical game. This increases the chances of attacking Taiwan by Beijing. It in turn ends up plans to make its own chips ecosystem with India’s Taiwanese semiconductor firms.

China has all powerful pawns in strategic chess boards. The restoration of the Kailash Yatra is very good. But New Delhi should be engaged in its defense, continue working with Quad (a group of Australia, India, Japan and America) to combat Beijing’s strategy, and hard work to reduce strength differences Should do. This cannot be a normal business.

(Hindi translation of original article of English produced by Team TooI Plus; Silver Pandit and agencies input)

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