Haritha's Musings: Muscle Flexing: Mascot of Chinese Military Parade

Nearly a week after the grand military parade of China that evoked hegemonic posturing, almost all the popular newspapers and international magazines carried articles countering the popular international perceptions. These customised articulated series of open Ed columns mostly penned by academicians and diplomats of China carried out calibrated validation of President Xi’s regime intentions of celebrating the 70^th anniversary of the World War II. A massive intellectual drive was unleashed to reach out to the international audience in a bid to allay fears about its combative ostentatiousness. The orchestrated bickering of Chinese intellectuals in fact imminently hints that it might be one of its newest strategies to divert attention from an extensive series of military exercises and transgressions into LAC after the mega show. While China outwardly downplays its growing clout and interprets it as a manifestation of the media (West) but Beijing’s belligerent foreign policy in reality speaks volumes of its domineering zealot (1).

China, during the war of resistance against invading Japan lost 20 million people. The World War II believed to have started with Nazis invading Poland has commenced two years earlier in China with gory incidents of the “Rape of the Nanking” or “Nanjing Massacre” in December 1937 as the Imperial Japanese Army perpetrated widespread rape and loot (2). The war which lasted for eight years was the longest and bloodiest wherein China suffered severe losses with all the major cities taken over by the Japanese Army. Consequently the local national government was forced to move inland. Almost entire country has suffered the brutalities of the war and it is a grim reminder of the torture and excesses faced by the people. Chinese over a period of time internalised the brutalities that tend to consciously tear the psyche of the people. Nostalgia of the “century of the humiliation” suffered by Chinese plagued the relations between the two countries. Resentments piled up over the years is now taking a toll on its relations more so with Japan recently espousing its proactive militarisation program. As national sentiments preloaded with bad memories haunt Chinese every year, their attitudes towards Japan might naturally be overwhelmed with bitterness. Hence China has every reason to recapitulate the nationalist sentiments by celebrating the 70^th anniversary of World War II.

China’s massive military parade marking celebrations on September 3^rdsignalling its resurgence and venting out its frustration against Japan is justified. But the unprecedented display of weapons and the goose-stepping of its troops in tandem caught international attention. Above all its reinforced commitment of working towards global peace elicited an intangible apprehension among several countries. China’s quibbles for territorial claims be it sea or land and its insatiable thirst to extend its influence speaks volumes of its dubious intentions. Its unquenchable appetite to accumulate and continuously upgrade its weapons is threatening financially weaker nations in its vicinity.

Various articles authored by the Chinese intellectuals indicated that organisation of a grand military parade as President Xi’s way of showcasing his political authority. They opined that an average Chinese was impressed by the rapid advances their country made in military technology (3). But the series of the events like the stock market crash, Xi’s attempts to contain the damage by devaluation of Renminbi and pumping of $4 trillion into the markets (4) and the tragic explosion in Tianjin chemical factory that killed 160 people exposed the inherent vulnerabilities of the country. These incidents has shook the confidence of people in Xi’s regime. The parade is thus believed to be an attempt made by Xi to assert his control over the bad spate of economy. Moreover two and half years hence when President Xi assumed charges, he escalated anti-corruption drive instituting tough punishments against corrupt comrades turning them into bitter enemies. The recent downturn of events for Chinese economy was a shot in arm for the embittered bureaucracy seething with anger towards Xi. Attributing political vulnerability of Xi as the trigger for a grand military parade, intellectual coterie of China have tried to down played China’s muscle flexing. But the views elicited by these academicians are too lame to be believed.

China over the past few decades with its enviable double digit growth rate steadily emerged as the second largest economy of the World. Subsequently with its superfluous production, superior marketing networks and extensive infrastructure successfully extended its foot hold across different nations in the World. It is now a top trading partner for over 60 countries. Further with generous offers of building infrastructure in the South Asian countries and by extending financial bounties it has invariably roped in smaller nations into its fold. All the South Asian nations are part of the One Belt, One Road strategy of China. With its deep pockets, it loomed largely over countries in the Indian Ocean Region and made strategic gains. The steady economic progression has been commensurate with arm build-up and developing expertise in military technology.

Ironically its confessions during powerful parade of China’s peaceful rise to the World falls woefully short of its claims. Besides its abominable acts of human rights suppression in the Xinjiang province and the Tibetan region the constant skirmishes with India, Vietnam are just few instances that speak volumes of the spiteful resurgence of China. The undeterred and frenetic land reclamation of shoals, islets, reefs has turned the countries abutting South China Sea region hostile and made them apprehensive of China’s intentions. All these smaller nations are now turning to bigger allies for protection and military help. To gain international approval for its “nine-dashed line doctrine” which essentially seeks claims over 90% of the South China Sea it smartly nurtured an intellectual think-tank too. China exercises its claims over the Senakaku islands thus augmenting tensions with Japan.

Moreover assurances of peace by China elicits disbelief in India. It scepticism is genuine and recently China’s People Liberation Army (PLA) army transgressed into India on Sep 11^th. The PLA troops sneaked 1.5 km inside the Indian border from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Burtse high altitude region in Ladakh and constructed a watch tower. This region lies in the Despang valley at an altitude of 17,000 ft and has been site of intense stand-offs as the PLA can keep watch on the activities on the Indian side. Similarly India can overlook the Karakoram highway that links the PoK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) with China. Tensions built up across the border as Indian army demolished the watch tower constructed by the PLA on the Indian side. While it was agreed by both sides that no constructions should come up in the disputed region, regular transgression and stand-offs have become a common misadventure. The last major stand-off lasted for 21 days during Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to India in 2013. Similar stand-offs occurred during President’s Xi visit to India in September 2014. The tension at the LAC has been defused by flag meetings between both sides. The countries share 4000km of LAC and China now claims 90,000 sqkm of the Arunachal Pradesh territory besides the 38,000km in the Jammu Kashmir region (5). While China has settled border disputes with Russia and Myanmar peacefully the Indo-China war of 1962 and repeated transgressions asserts its combative attitude towards India. As a matter of fact, despite the face-off’s China denies any such event and like Pakistan continues to blame India of “misleading and provoking public opinion”.

However hard Chinese media and its intellectual vouch China’s rectitude undeniably its bellicosity is threatening the harmony of the South East Asia. In the latest development top Chinese Admiral in a defense conference says that “the South China Sea as the name indicates, is a sea area that belongs to China” (6). The region which is resource rich is claimed by five other countries- Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Haritha's Musings

Sunday 20 September 2015

Muscle Flexing: Mascot of Chinese Military Parade

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