Beijing’s military adventures in the Himalayas are risky

Beijing’s military adventures in the Himalayas are risky

While interference in North Sikkim was resolved locally, under mutually agreed protocols, those in East Ladakh were retained, prompting speculation about Chinese intentions.

The last major release among Asian giants was in Doklam in 2017 and lasted 73 days. This was followed by informal meetings between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, first Wuhan in April 2018 and then in Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu in October 2019. During these interaction, leaders reiterated the importance of peace in border areas for greater strategic gain. They also issued instructions to their soldiers to refrain and strengthen mutual understanding and trust.

At the strategic and operational level, both soldiers were restrained. However, at the tactical level, confrontations arise due to different understandings of where the real limit is because the LAC is not underlined on the ground. While confrontations are resolved locally, those related to infrastructure construction, such as roads and defense fortifications, always require a longer period of time and require a combination of military and diplomatic initiatives.

Bilateral agreements between 1993 and 2013 they helped prevent the use of force outside of occasional quarrels. Neither side has been fired since 1975, and that is unlikely to change now.

Faced with countless internal and external challenges during the coronavirus pandemic, China can afford to take any risky adventures in the Himalayas. The conflict with India, its main regional strategic competitor, will not only complicate its problems, but will seriously hamper its stated journey towards a global superpower by 2050. Some of the challenges Xi Jinping faces today include China’s contract economy, its re- a preoccupied trade war with the US, giving up production and slowing down its ambitious belt and road initiative. The protests in Hong Kong, the mysterious intransigence and the global demand to investigate its role in the coronavirus pandemic have also added to the problems.

See also  The vivid portraits of Nams Leuba capture Tahiti’s third genus

Moreover, by banning Pakistan, which is its strategic all-weather partner in the region, Beijing’s persistent behavior along with its alleged pandemic-related role has created an anti-Chinese mood in Asian countries that has assisted friendship as part of its strategy to suppress India. India would make good use of this to its advantage.

Mutual distraction

China is aware of the current combat potential of the Indian military and has seen it develop in a responsible, accountable and strong element of national power since the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict, across the still disputed Himalayan border. Both armies have been training together for many years to develop interoperability for humanitarian aid, disaster relief and counter-terrorism operations. Understanding each other in military capability helps to deter each other because each side understands the dark consequences of the conflict. India, under its current political leadership, has shown its propensity to use force when provoked. The volatile and complex proxy war arena of Jammu and Kashmir has further helped the Indian military to strengthen its troops.

The possibility of Beijing using face-offs to strategically send messages to India cannot be ruled out. New Delhi not only has it joined an international assembly to investigate the origins and spread of the coronavirus pandemic, but it has also blocked the automatic route for approving foreign direct investment from China. Strengthening the strategic partnership between India and the US is another stimulus for Beijing. China is known to use encouragement and intimidation to face external challenges both on the internal domain, encouraging nationalist zeal to eclipse various governance failures and shortcomings. Both lines serve the current ranks of the LAC. Unlike previous encounters, this time the Chinese mainstream and social media have been extremely active in propagating patriotic narratives.
Reconciliations given by the Chinese embassies in New Delhi and Switzerland Office of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, they point to China’s desire to ease tensions at the border. However, there was no movement forward on the field. Given India’s determination to develop border infrastructure on its territory, as is its right, early resolution of the problem could be difficult. This is a bilateral issue that has no room for any third-party intervention: both India and China refused American mediation proposal.

While conflict is a further possibility in the near future, India must seriously continue to develop its military capability to deter aggression and, if it fails, fight to win wars for the country. Relying on any outside force to fight the wars in India is certainly not a good idea. As a great emerging power, India must carry its own great staff.

See also  Emmanuel Macron told Vladimir Putin that "honest dialogue is not compatible with military escalation" in Ukraine.

But for greater economic and geostrategic gains, a peaceful solution is the answer. There is enough space in the world for two Asian giants to grow at the same time.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *