Hindi-Chini bhai bhai?

Once again, China has tried to provoke India. But it seems that India still wants to live up to five-decade old ‘Hindi-Chini bhai bhai’ slogan.

Kamna Arora

Once again, China has tried to provoke India. As soon as it was revealed that the Chinese embassy in New Delhi had been issuing irregular visas to Kashmiri Indians, the Indian administration was left in shock. The embassy was reportedly stapling a handwritten document to the passports of Kashmiri Indians rather than pasting printed copies, which is the norm with other Indians. And Delhi had just no clue about it. Notably, people from Arunachal Pradesh, a state which China lays claim on, are also being issued ‘stapled visas’ from the Chinese embassy. As soon as the Indian administration got the news, it quickly issued a statement saying, “It is our considered view and position that there should be no discrimination against visa applicants of Indian nationality on the grounds of domicile or ethnicity.” Later, Defence Minister AK Antony said, "Whether it is Jammu and Kashmir or Arunachal Pradesh, all are integral parts of India. For us, every inch of India is one. There are channels of dealing with our neighbours whenever any issue arises and we always use them to raise our point of view." For a change, India not only gave statements, but responded to China with atypical quickness by issuing a directive stopping all such visa holders from getting on China-bound planes. Why China issued stapled visas to Kashmiri Indians? Since nothing official has been said about it, one can infer that this act of China indicates that Beijing neither accepts Kashmiris as Indian citizens nor recognises Kashmir as an integral part of India – in a sense recognises it as disputed. One can say that China, Pakistan’s all weather ally, wanted to tell Kashmiris that they are not entitled to a larger pluralistic identity. Or has China done it to please Pakistan? This is not the first time China has tried to pinch India. Earlier this year, China tried to block Asian Development Bank’s funding for a USD 2.9 billion Indian development project, which included a project in ‘disputed’ Arunachal Pradesh. Of late, Chinese helicopters violated Indian airspace in Leh area of north Jammu and Kashmir. According to reports in the Indian media, Chinese troops crossed over into India`s territory in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ladakh region. Reports further claimed that the Chinese troops marked boulders and rocks as deep as 1.5 km inside India’s border with red spray paint in Mandarin. It is not for the first time that reports of Chinese incursions into Indian territory have emerged. As per reports, the Indian Army logged 270 border violations and about 2,300 cases of “aggressive border patrolling” by Chinese soldiers in 2008. However, the Defence Ministry in New Delhi rejected the threat posed by incursions as nothing but media-manufactured hype. The government continued to downplay China’s ‘confrontational’ activities on the border. No doubt, India is failing to acknowledge that Delhi has a bone to pick with Beijing. China is not missing out a single opportunity to embarrass India. In fact, one of the mouthpieces of the Chinese Communist Party`s recently warned India against escalating its troop levels in Arunachal Pradesh, advising New Delhi to mull “whether or not it can afford the consequences of a potential confrontation with China”. It seems that India still wants to live up to five-decade old ‘Hindi-Chini bhai bhai’ slogan. Disappointingly, distrust has overshadowed the ties between the two sides since the 1962 war fought by India and China over a border dispute that has still not been resolved. China has gained significant military might after the war. Albeit India has made progress in the ‘military’ direction, yet much more needs to be done to catch up the Dragon. Why does India need to express anger? Well, always bowing down to Chinese pressure is not an option. India has already acceded to China’s demands to bar political activities of the Dalai Lama, stirring debate on its stand on the issue of Tibet sovereignty. There is no possibility of the repetition of the 1962 episode, but China’s provocations cannot be ignored. India truly needs to strengthen its deterrence power. India further needs to increase its diplomatic as well as economic ties with its neighbours, so that it can contain China in the future. Notably, Beijing is increasing its presence in the Indian neighbourhood, such as Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Maldives. Furthermore, India needs to tighten its border security in order to avoid any incursion. It is significant to pay heed that India cannot afford to have any lapse in analysing China’s activities. At a time when the US’ superpower status is in danger due to the economic rise of China and India, Delhi and Beijing should bury the hatchet and make efforts to build trust between them. Resolving border issue between them should be the first priority of the two sides. The friendship of India and China can shift the balance of power to the East in the near future. It is not in any of the two countries’ interest to scuffle with each other. The distrust between India and China will not only aggravate tension in the region, but also help countries like the US and Pakistan to get unnecessary advantage. India is not a weak country. With its democracy intact, India’s economic growth will catch up with China’s in the near future. But what India needs to do is to rehash its China strategy. It is imperative for India to have a policy which is a blend of both - diplomatic as well as military manoeuvres. The two sides should make efforts to use their borders as bridges not barriers.