ANURIMA highlights how a long-term diplomatic strategy may help tame China on borders.
After the disengagement at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), there was exchange of sweets on the border on the occasion of the new year. This had happened after China had recently named 15 places in a map showing the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as “south Tibet”. India, in its response, had said that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of the country.
China uses symbolism to gradually make an assumption a fact. Here is the modus operandi. Initially, Beijing issues periodic statements on territorial claims to gain the required attention. Then it seizes the area.
The dragon state apparently wants to tell India and other southeast Asian nations that it is going to prioritize its territorial sovereignty, now at a faster pace. By formalization, it is empowering not only the military but also the civil authorities in China to participate in safeguarding national sovereignty. This is being achieved through border infrastructure building as well as constructing “frontier villages”. The border village construction plan of China, launched in 2017, gaining a faster pace. Roots of unending conflicts
The new Chinese border law, passed in March 2021, took effect on January 1, 2022. It stipulates that the state shall take measures to safeguard territorial integrity and land boundaries. The law will govern how Beijing shall guard its 22,117-km long land border that it shares with 14 countries, including India, Russia, North Korea and Bhutan. It shows a continuous “non-disengagement” of border disputes between India and China. The roots of these never-ending issues are much less talked about.
The issue of territorial disputes between China and India emanates due to the differing perception of territorial land. For China, it started during medieval times when the Qing dynasty was in power (1644-1912). For India, it all started from when Britain were ruling the country. On the eastern border, Tawang, the smallest of the 16 administrative districts of the north-eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, was historically a part of Tibet. The 1914 Simla Accord signed by McMahon on behalf of the British government and Lonchen Shatra, on behalf of the Tibetan government, defined the McMahon Line — a line that separates Tawang from Tibet — as the new boundary between British India and Tibet. With this treaty, Tibet gave away several hundred square miles of its territory, including Tawang to the British, but China refuses to recognize it till today.
The issue also highlights how China and India see the world differently. Indian civilization is based on Vasudeva kutumbkambh, which means that the world is one family. However, China considers itself to be the “middle kingdom Sino-centrism. In other words, China considers itself to be the centre of the world. Everything around it is peripheral. This leads to a different understanding of the world and uncommon goals from the beginning.
What bothers China
China has a thick economical skin. It remains difficult for India to compete with China economically. China’s GDP is US$12.2 trillion – four times the GDP of India. Kanti Bajpai, in his book “India Versus China: Why they are Not Friends, has highlighted that even if India grows at 10 percent and China at 6 percent for 10 years, China’s economy will be stronger than India because it has a higher base rate. Therefore, banning Chinese apps, reducing trade, does not bother China. What has bothered China is the institutionalization of QUAD in 2021.. QUAD — a strategic group of USA, Japan, Australia, and India — allows entry of the USA in the Indo-pacific region which may harm China’s hegemony in the region.
Way forward
The issue of Chinese claims in Indian territory requires a prioritized long-term diplomatic strategy, which India is capable of creating quite well. With India buying S-400 from Russia and forming QUAD with the USA with no sanctions imposed, visiting Myanmar amid the political turmoil in the country, the country’s foreign policy has done exceptionally well in the past year. Now, New Delhi requires to “Act East” for its territorial sovereignty.
Anurima is a student of Masters in International Relations. Views are personal.
