Emboldened China flexes its muscles

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on October 27, took umbrage to the new Chinese "Land Boundary Law", passed recently and said it could have implications on the existing bilateral agreements on border management, as well as on the unresolved boundary question.

"It may be noted that India and China have still not resolved the boundary question… In this regard, China's unilateral decision to bring about legislation which can have implications on our existing bilateral agreements on border management as well as on the boundary question is of concern to us," said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

China has become emboldened in its extreme actions of late further with the withdrawal of the Americans from Afghanistan. Like Pakistan, China too presumes that it would queer the situation for India and it would be pushed more to a corner in the geopolitics of the region. What makes Pakistan and China expand their theories on those lines is not known.

Taliban is not an easy game. Just because the Taliban had sought external help in the past or seeks external help now in establishing its rule in Afghanistan firmly should not be misread as its weakness. The Afghan Taliban may invoke Sharia and prefer Islamic rule in their country. But, to claim that it is inimical towards others will be wrong.

The focus of the Taliban forces by and large has been to ensure non-interference of outside forces in its politics. That includes China and Pakistan. There are elements within the Taliban grouping like the Haqqani network that could prefer destabilizing India through any means. But if the Taliban wants to deal with India, then such groups would be its headache.

It is in this backdrop that the Chinese have now made the new Law move on the boundaries. It has passed a new law on the 'protection of its land border areas' while escalating tensions with India, Taiwan, Bhutan and Nepal along the international borders.

The first national law on the protection of land borders of China is all about managing border matters at the legal level. It is required to strengthen its national security, it says. What it does actually is bring the social and economic development works in the border areas under the control of its military in the name of coordination. Through this Act the PLA (People's Liberation Army) "works closely" with the civilians residing in the border areas. This should be read as increased PLA powers to dictate military roles to its citizens in the border areas. We have already seen the Chinese leadership forcing the Tibetans to join its army lines to face Indian forces in the Himalayas.

A Chinese mouthpiece asserted that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China are "sacred and inviolable." The state will take measures to safeguard territorial integrity and land border security and hence the law, it said.

Naturally, India has its reservations against such a law. China has occupied vast tracts of India not only in Ladakh but also in the Pakistan occupied Kashmir. India is not ready to forego its claims on the land and hence, any misadventure in the Himalayas by it will be dealt with accordingly.

China is building hundreds of villages across Indian borders and pushing its people from deep inside its territory to reside there. It is strange that the world watches the Chinese intentions silently. Why has it not taken note of it and questioned China for human rights violations or taken a suitable action against it?

The Chinese know that these civilians could be cannon fodder in case of a war and having been forced to defend the borders. It does not bother the Chinese conscience any more because these are just occupied lands and the subjects here are its slaves. The ethnic people, be it in Tibet or Mongolia or in Xinjiang, have already lost all their Rights and have been forced into socio-politico-economic and cultural slavery. The Pakistanis too are feeling the heat along the CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor). China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is yet another example of exploitation.

China is a country with 22,000 kms of land border with 14 countries. Taiwan, India and Bhutan still have disagreements with China on its territorial claims.

India needs a lot of patience in handling the Chinese designs. The new border law is essentially a law against Indian interests. China is wary of India nowadays, particularly after the Galwan issue. It had not expected India to strike back as it did. It is also aware of the fact that India will formidably defend its borders along the 3,488 kms length of Line of Actual Control.

India's border disputes with China cover a 3,488-km long border along the Line of Actual Control.

It is ironic that China talks of "negotiations with neighbours to manage the land border disputes within the framework of principles of equality, mutual trust and friendly consultation". All these three principles are alien concepts to the Chinese. This is classic cognitive dissonance in fact. Why use the words you are in conflict with? Such a mental conflict is the result of the conflict between one's beliefs and behaviours that don't match. It only leads to tension and unease.

India has already warned China on this count. "We also expect that China will avoid undertaking action under the pretext of this law which could unilaterally alter the situation in the India-China border areas. Furthermore, the passage of this new law does not in our view confer any legitimacy to the 'so called' China Pakistan 'Boundary Agreement' of 1963 which the Government of India has consistently maintained is an illegal and invalid document," the MEA spokesperson has said.

It was also made clear to China that the move would have no bearing on the agreements reached by both sides regarding the boundary or the maintenance of peace and tranquillity along the LAC. Perfect. Good that India did not mince any words here. It should not too.

Chinese leadership, perhaps, is consuming too much of its own propaganda published by its party brochures like Global Times and has become smug. Such platitudes are meaningless and prosaic. The world is well aware of its psychological warfare which is primary to its military quests.

On its part, India needs to strengthen its border infrastructure further and 'intelligently' track the Chinese moves while also mobilising international opinion against the same.