Unmasking China’s ‘Peaceful’ Civil Nuclear Program

 Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw the ground breaking ceremony of Russian-built nuclear power plants, a total of four nuclear reactors, two at Tianwan nuclear plant in eastern Jiangsu province and two in Xudapu in north eastern Liaoning province each with individual capacity of 1.2 GW¹. These are expected to be operational by 2026-28. Energy cooperation has been the corner stone of Sino-Russian relations; nuclear cooperation which is added facet to this dimension received a massive boost with Russian based nuclear reactors forming the backbone of China’s so called civil nuclear cooperation arena of this partnership.

Facing the Western sanctions, Russia has deepened its ties with China. Though reluctant to be a junior partnership in this bilateral relationship, America’s inadvertent picking of Russia and labelling Moscow as strategic adversary on par with China, has become a strong glue for expansive Sino-Russian bilateral cooperation which now includes-military, space, finance, investment, trade and even institutional integration. Deeming the civil nuclear energy as a weapon to reach its agenda of 2060 carbon neutral mission, China has been on nuclear reactor expansion spree since 2012. Currently, China has quarter of global nuclear capacity which includes 50 operable nuclear reactors and 19 reactors under construction².

Currently nuclear energy accounts for 4.9% of total power generation in China. To wean off from the carbon dependence, China is aiming to increase the nuclear power contribution to 13% by 2070. After acquiring the nuclear technology from US, France and Russia initially, China made rapid strides in the field. For the first time in 2015 China developed indigenous nuclear reactor, Hualong One and began exporting the nuclear technology. Having reached the set target of 70 GW by 2020 ahead of schedule, China has set new limits of 200 GW by 2030, and 400-500GW by 2050. Post Fukushima while the World shied away from nuclear energy and Germany started phasing out nuclear reactors, China started rigorously betting on them.

China’s avowed interest in nuclear reactors for pegging carbon emissions is worthy of praise. However, China’s lack of transparency and opacity with respect to the nuclear records has become growing cause of concern. Besides, Beijing’s recalcitrant approach for a genuine talk on nuclear risk reduction initiated by the US is causing real trepidation. Together, the latest nuclear reactors being built are Closed Fuel nuclear breeder Reactors, CFR-600 that produce Plutonium, which upon reprocessing can be used for producing nuclear war heads is now an additional source of anxiety. Absence of any official clarification about the end-use of the nuclear reactors whether it is serves civilian needs or nuclear deterrent needs have sparked new apprehensions.

IAEA has announced that since 2017, China has stopped making annual declarations on its civilian plutonium program and stopped updating about the stocks of civilian plutonium as well³.

For long, the US, Europe and Japan have been pioneering leaders in nuclear power generation and global nuclear commerce. With steady decline of the competitiveness of this industry led by US it slowly moved away while Russia emerged as the leader of nuclear sales accounting for two-thirds of global sales. In the meanwhile, China doubled down its efforts and started exporting its indigenous nuclear reactors to Pakistan, Argentina and Britain. Reportedly, it is advancing the agenda under the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) and roped in 28 countries under of nuclear cooperation ambit.

China’s option of using Plutonium for power generation is triggering a debate. Japan has also selected the same path and for the past 40 years, having accumulated tonnes of Plutonium is struggling to dispose it through non-breeder reactors. All these efforts have showed that reprocessing is non-economical thus offering no logic to as why China has opted this path. While Japan lacks the infrastructure and systems to make nuclear weapons to use up the Plutonium, China has the wherewithal to build nuclear war heads. At this juncture, China’s installation of new breeders producing Plutonium for power generation is raising curious doubts.

Given China’s dual-use approach, Korea, already wary of Japan’s holdings might speed up the process of using Plutonium reactors. This will eventually push the region into Plutonium reprocessing, which isn’t environmentally friendly, disposal is cost prohibitive and will spur race for building nuclear war heads. While some view that China’s determination to pursue Plutonium is an attempt to dominate the “cutting-edge technology” one of the agenda of the 2049 centennial goals of CCP, Plutonium is considered to have a negative economic value. Considering all the possible alternatives, the singular motive which fits the Plutonium reprocessing exercise of Beijing’s is the nuclear expansion agenda.

China’s intentions are under scanner for the absence of any transparency regarding the stocks of Plutonium, refusal to adopt moratorium on the use of fissile material production for weapons and its joint efforts with Pakistan for stalling the negotiations on FMCT (Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty) at the UN.

Timing of this development, when tensions between the US and China are pitch high over Taiwan issue sparking the fears of Cold war 2.0 and China’s refusal to join discussion on Prevention of Nuclear war at the 65-member Conference on Disarmament at Geneva⁴ even as Russia and the US agreed to extend the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) arms control treaty for five years is disconcerting. Also, the waters of North East Asia are roiled with tensions and China’s latest move hints at its objective of attaining strategic nuclear parity with the US.

Also, if China’s nuclear program is so peaceful, what stops it from making the annual declarations to IAEA since 2017?  Shrouded in secrecy, taking into account only the military fissile stocks, US intelligence agencies underestimated China to have 350 nuclear heads by Autumn 2020. Even Russia experts believed that China has large stockpile. These estimates are corroborated by a report in South China Morning Post that read, “a source close to Chinese military said that its stockpile of nuclear war heads had risen to 1000 in recent years, but less than 100 of them are active”⁵.

Known for bidding time and hiding capabilities, China in the recent past has been increasing its strategic and non-strategic defense deterrence which includes development of hypersonic missiles, Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), Multiple Independent Re-entry Vehicles, hypersonic glide vehicles, submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), bombers and launchers. By some estimates China already has about 1000 nuclear heads and these numbers are going to double or triple by 2030. Given its burgeoning propensity for armed conflicts, China must be sitting on a huge stock of nuclear assets. With the unrelenting pace of installing of fast breeder reactor, China is seeking to increase its Weapons Grade Plutonium (WGPu). Records indicate that US has 1270 nuclear war heads. So, by implication, China is reaching strategic parity with the US.

China’s defence of adopting fast nuclear breeder technology falls short on the agenda of energy and environment. It is time, all the five countries, US, Russia, China, Japan and South Korea start sharing information on the civilian plutonium, enriched Uranium holdings and production capacities with IAEA⁶. Else this is bound to catalyse an uncontrolled chain reaction of nuclear proliferation.

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Israel-Hamas Conflict: Putting things in Perspective

As tensions loom large with unabated rocket firing and retaliatory air strikes, apprehensions of a full-blown war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza have surged. Moved by the plight of innocent civilians, UNSC has thus far, held three sessions calling for immediate ceasefire. US, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan have tried to broker a ceasefire, but to no avail. Unlike the past conflicts, the current escalation has been different.

First, the hesitation of the Biden administration towards the escalation has been intriguing. Reluctant to getting drawn into Middle East morass, four months into power, Biden hasn’t crafted a Middle East Policy nor appointed Israeli ambassador. By contrast, Trump announced Israeli ambassador one month ahead of his inauguration while President Obama picked up a Middle East Envoy on the second day of his Presidency¹. The trepidation in reflected in the lack of coherence in US strategy towards Israel. Biden reversed Trump’s Pro-Israel stance and restored aid to Palestine. This kind of delicate balancing without directionality and focus is evident in US administration’s initial hesitation to back Israel.

Though US has blocked all the resolutions against Israel at UNSC, the pressure within the party is mounting since White House statement of May 12^th, which read- “President Biden spoke today with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He condemned the rocket attacks by Hamas and other terrorist groups, including against Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. He conveyed his unwavering support for Israel’s security and for Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself and its people, while protecting civilians”. The new crop of the Progressives within the party- Alexandria Ocasia-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Mark Pocan criticised Biden for failing to condemn the killing of Palestinian children. Facing the rift within the party, Biden has issued a statement at the time of writing, expressing support for a ceasefire.

This significant shift in US position reflective of the changing demographics of the electorate is going to be a diplomatic setback for Israel. Biden administration’s trepidation has an underlying message to Israel.

Second, aside from the rocket firing and counter strikes, the new phenomenon that took Israel by surprise now is the eruption of mob violence of young Arabs on streets in Israeli cities- Lod, Haifa, Acre, Ramla in the Heart of Israel. Arab youth marauding on the streets is setting fire to cars, torching synagogues, throwing Molotov cocktails into Jewish houses and ransacking stores stoking the fears of a civil war.

Israelis know how to navigate through bomb attacks, rocket firing but aren’t used to mob violence and attacks on synagogues and lynching their fellow citizens. Arab comprise 23% of the Israeli population. Israelis are truly terrified of this internal strife which has the potential to unravel the Jewish country by sowing seeds of ethnic suspicion.

Though reports suggest that incensed by Israel’s disproportionate retaliatory attacks a faction of Arab and Jewish fundamentalists are resorting to these kinds of violent incidents, Palestinian attempt to ram soldiers with a car in Southern West Bank, reminiscent of the terrorist attacks in the West is causing fresh concerns. In the city of Bet Yam, an Arab man was apparently lynched by Israeli Jews. Yair Lapid condemned the rioters as, “bunch of pathetic racists who don’t represent Israeli Jews”². President Rivulin castigated the Arab Israeli leadership for their shameful silence on the pogrom.

Third, for the first time since 2014 capital Jerusalem is under attack, Hamas is firing rockets and using Anti-Tank missiles on Tel Aviv and surrounding cities in Central Israel. Millions of people are running for cover. With Israel’s Iron Dome Missile Defense System effectively intercepting and neutralising the rockets and people taking refuge in bomb shelters in response to the warning alarms, the casualties on the Israeli side are minimised.

Hamas have thus far fired 3300 rockets at Israel, some of them misfired and exploded in Gaza killing the civilians living in the vicinity. Gaza is one of the most densely populated regions and Hamas operate from the Civilian areas and use women and children as shields to escape the targeted attacks of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).

Additionally, when IDF issued a warning to evacuate, Hamas and the Jihadi elements encourage civilians to stay instead. As a result, civilian casualties are disproportionately high in Gaza. Hamas has been using gruesome images of dead children as propaganda tools to evoke emotional sympathy internationally. A case in point of IDF's mode of operation has been IDF’s warning alert to the media agencies operating in Gaza whose towers are brought down for doubling up as an operational centre of Hamas.

Israel has been severely censured by the international media for this act, but the incident was casualty-free.

Fourth, the mode of operation of the IDF and Hamas are quite contrasting. The answer to this lies in the charter of Hamas, an Islamic Resistance Movement evolved from the Islamic Brotherhood which says, “there is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad”³. For decades, Israel has successfully repelled attacks of several nation-states. But the current conflict is with a non-state actor which is a designated international terror organisation.

By extension, Israel which is a sovereign state has every right to retaliate and defend itself from these attacks.

Fifth, by deliberately undermining the jihadi motto of Hamas, Israeli critics aside condemning its disproportionate retaliatory strikes gave a free pass to the terror advocacy of Hamas. Also, unlike the 2014 Gazan war, rockets are being fired towards Israel’s Northern territories from Lebanon’s City of Tyre.

Sixth, overwhelmed by the growing causalities and relentless attacks, nations are rightly calling for an immediate halt in hostilities accusing Israel of apartheid and genocide of Palestinians. But in reality, Israel’s conflict is a war against terrorism, a terror organisation that won the Parliamentary legislative election in 2006.

Seeking to graduate to the next stage of being the representative of Palestinians, Hamas is seeking to upstage the Palestine Authority. The elections scheduled to be held later this month were cancelled by Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas stating that Israel objected to the opening of ballots in East Jerusalem, which indeed is false. With a shrinking popularity, Abbas who assumed charge in 2005 for a period of four years hasn’t conducted elections till now. Hamas is upset with the cancelation of election. Ongoing violence is part of Hamas larger plan to advance its agenda. A series of events are smartly manipulated to unleash violence.

The district court was to issue a ruling on the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood evictions. It comes at a time, when the overstaying squatters and the people who are without any tenancy rights appealed against the Supreme Court which ruled in favour of the Jews who possessed the title ownership documents duly validated and recognised by the Israeli court.

Tenancy rights have been successfully transferred since Ottoman times and they weren’t disputed through British rule except for the 19 years period of Jordanian forcible occupation of East Jerusalem. Jordan denied the Jews the ability to exercise their ownership of annexed lands and it declined to give Palestinian Arabs the title to the land seized. After the 1967 war, Israel refused to continue the discriminatory practices of Jordan. Contrary to the media claims of the Israeli government evicting the squatters, the private individuals presented their appeals to the court. After rightfully establishing their ownership are now expecting the Israeli police to evict the overstaying Palestine Arabs. As alleged, this is not, “illegal settlement activity”.

To this end, Prof Avi Bell, clarified that even International Law wouldn’t strip the property rights of private Jews which are characteristically referred to as “Occupied Palestine Territories”⁴. Indeed, for all the charges of massive evictions, the decision pertained to only six families. An Israeli court has offered a compromise of minimal rent for residence in perpetuity, while some agreed, others rejected. Those who refused are facing the threat of eviction.

Sheikh Jarrah which holds a Jewish neighbourhood by name “Shimon HaTZadik” which holds the tomb of a rabbinic sage has been home to the largest ethnic population of Yemenite Jews⁵. Anticipating a flareup of tensions, the court ruling has been postponed.

In the run to the court ruling, Jerusalem has been witnessing series of riots. Reports of Arab worshippers’ stockpiling rocks, fireworks in the Al-Qasa Mosque the third holiest site for Muslims and known as Temple Mount for Jews emerged⁶. Validating these findings Arabs, pelted stones and bottles at Police during the clashes at the Mosque Friday. Police used stun grenades and water cannons to dispel the crowds. Subsequently, Hamas fired four rockets towards Ashkelon city Sunday night.

The following Monday, Nationalist Jews were getting ready for the annual parade to Old City on the eve of Jerusalem Day when the Israeli administration called off the event at the eleventh hour given its potential to ignite tensions during the Ramzan month. Israeli authorities for the reasons best known to them allowed the tensions to simmer. Having lost the chance to form a government, critics argued that Prime Minister Netanhayu might have allowed the situation to escalate to be at the helm once again with retaliatory attacks on Hamas. But the rapprochement between Israel and Arabs through the Abraham accords is the real trigger.

Israel-Arab alliance is perceived as a threat to the budding Turkey-Iran axis. Hamas the handmaiden of Iran is working at the behest of Tehran to throw a spanner into the formation of first-ever Israeli-Arab coalition government.

Ending the political deadlock of four rounds of electoral exercises in the past two years, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid were on the verge of forming a government with Mansour Abbas of Islamist Ra’am Party. This turmoil has hampered the process.

Seventh, Hamas provocative escalation has led to killing of 217 Palestinians which including 63 children and 12 deaths in Israel including two children. This unspeakable tragedy which claimed innocent children is now alluded to as bemoaning spectacle of self-determination. Portraying Israel, as an oppressive colonial force squatting on a foreign land Western media besides denying indigenous Jews of its history is projecting them as villains.

But indeed, the present conflict isn’t an Israel-Palestine conflict, though it stems from the Palestinian cause. It is a sovereign state’s fight with a non-state actor, a terror organisation.

Rightly so, India, which has lost its citizens to Hamas rocket firing in its statement at UNSC expressed concerns over violence in Jerusalem. Calling for “immediate de-escalation” as the “need of the hour, so as to arrest any further slide towards the brink”, urged both sides to show “extreme restraint and desist from actions that exacerbate tensions”.

India’s ambassador to the UN T.S. Tirumurti condemned the “indiscriminate rocket firing from Gaza targeting the civilian population in Israel” that has “caused immense suffering and resulted in deaths”. He reiterated India’s commitment to the Palestinian cause supporting a two-state solution, and underscoring the need for dialogue between Israel and Palestinian authorities. As a victim of cross-border terrorism, India has deftly supported Israel’s strikes “retaliatory” in nature and refused to call it an act of aggression as other countries termed it⁶.

Though nations are shy of calling the current conflict for what it stands for an act of terrorism, IDF is now leaving no stone unturned to eliminate all sources of terror- rocket launch sites and destroying the Kornet anti-tank missiles of Hamas, neutralisation of top Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders in Gaza and terror tunnels.

Named “Operation Guardians of the Walls” the main objective of IDF is now set to destroy the network of tunnels criss-crossing the Israeli border built by Hamas after the 2014 Gazan war. Referred to as “The Metro”, tunnels are Hamas's first line of defense comprising anti-tank missile teams and mortar squads to attack the Israeli ground forces and escape the aerial strikes.

The raging conflict between Israel and Hamas is part of episodic and periodic attacks on Israel from Gaza against the existence of Jewish Majority State. Israel's stiff response is an act of reaffirming its deterrence. The current episode is no different. For the past seven years, Israel has been under constant attack from Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Syria.

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Contrasting trajectories of Indo-EU and Sino-EU ties

 On 8^th May, the Prime Minister, Modi held a summit meeting with EU and its 27 Member States in hybrid format in Porto after worsening Covid pandemic led to cancellation of his visit for the summit. Referred to as EU+27 Summit, it was significant for two reasons. Aside the strategic importance of it being the India-EU Leaders Meeting encompassing the leaders of all the 27 EU Members, this kind of format was convened only once earlier to meet the US President Joe Biden in February of this year.

Last year, a similar kind of Summit in hybrid format was supposed to be held with President Xi. But the Wuhan virus onslaught created new tensions and the summit was reduced to a smaller version.

The historic summit on 8^th May, which garnered international attention, came days after a precipitous down-turn in EU-China relations over the human rights issue and growing fears of buyout of European firms by the Chinese companies. On 6^th May, the European Commission’s Vice President, Valdis Dombrovskis in a press interview stated, “It’s clear in the current situation with the EU sanctions in place against China and the Chinese counter-sanctions in place .. (that) the environment is not conducive for ratification of the agreement”¹.

Pending the necessary endorsement from the European Parliament, the EU has suspended all efforts to ratify the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) signed on 30^th December, 2020. The EU-China relations appeared to be firm-footed following the signing of the investment treaty; now seeped with ambiguity. Despite fair amount of objections from certain corners, driven by France and Germany, the EU signed investment agreement. Since then, much water has flowed and the European countries which believed in using the CAI as a leverage to change China’s behaviour became highly vocal about Beijing’s human rights policy.

In March, the EU sanctioned four Chinese officials over alleged ‘genocide’ of the Uighurs in Xinjiang province. Beijing immediately responded with retaliatory sanctions on ten European nationals, five MEP (Members of the European Parliament) and four academic institutions. Beijing’s act miffed the European legislators which came at a time the caustic war of words between the US-China delegation meetings at Alaska startled the World.

Making no effort to hide his discomfort, Josep Borrell wrote in his blog,” We may not always agree on everything in the EU, but there has been a firm, principled and unanimous rejection of these Chinese sanctions, which indeed are both disproportionate and unjustified. Clearly, this move makes our relations and cooperation more difficult”. 

Amid the environment of trust deficit, France, Germany and the Netherlands announced their Indo-Pacific strategies prompting the EU, which was adamant till last year to have EU-Indo Pacific strategy to draw its own policy. Instructively, the Council of the European Union released Council Conclusions on an EU Strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in April. With Germany, UK, the Netherlands set to deploy vessels to the South China Sea later this year, the trust deficit is going to widen further.

Together, a legislation by the EU anti-trust Chief to prevent foreign take over of European assets whose values have taken a hit by pandemic, especially by the Chinese companies, and similar legislations by other European countries have also exacerbated the burgeoning ambiguity. Trump’s cantankerous attitude created ripples in the trans-Atlantic relationship which analysts believe has driven EU to sign investment treaty with China. Increasingly, now European countries are desirous of putting a united stance under the leadership of Biden’s administration against China.

Last week, at the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers meeting, France and Germany signed a joint statement endorsing Taiwan’s membership to WHO and the World Health Assembly (WHA). Taiwan thanked the G7 for the support and expectedly, China condemned the G7 for “gross interference in China’s internal affairs”².

An undercurrent of China scepticism is steadily building up in the EU. The three main political parties of the European Parliament- S&D, Renew Europe and the Greens which together account for 45% of the seats refused to debate the ratification as along as Chinese sanctions are in place³. With this the EU has put the pathbreaking China Pact on the backburner.

Though the Chinese media agencies were quick to jump in to counter the narrative stating that the EU Spokeswoman reportedly saying that EU Trade Chief Dombrovskis’s comment “has been taken out of the context”. A Chinese analyst believed that Beijing’s sanctions have stone-walled the investment deal which he believed wouldn’t pass. “China brilliantly succeeded in doing what is feared the most: to make China an object of a European political debate and above all to unite the different political sensitivities among themselves”, he said⁴.

Aside, China’s new found enthusiasm for retaliatory sanctions that have immediately irrevocably miffed the relations and brought the relations to a precipice, even its cheque-book diplomacy through the so called 17+1 platform is witnessing new frictions. Started in 2012 and believed to be a spin-off of “divide and conquer” tactics, the Eastern Summit is now showing all signs of erosion. The Eastern European nations are reportedly growing wary of China. Two Baltic nations-Estonia, Latvia, have openly snubbed the Eastern Summit and President Xi by sending low level officers to the meeting in February.

Leading the way, the Lithuanian parliament is readying to exit 17+1 with politicians advocating for closer links with Taiwan. Three Baltics- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania signed a bilateral declaration with the US to block operation of Huawei from their territories. These nations aren’t kindly to the boorish public diplomacy of China and sanctions on Baltic diplomats for their references to China’s human rights⁵. Clearly, Beijing’s economic inducements are unable to create lasting relationships. Clearly, Democratic values and human rights issues are now emerging as the major roadblock hindering the trajectory of China-EU ties.

In sharp contrast, democratic values, freedom, rule of law and respect for human rights have bolstered engagement between India and EU providing fresh impetus for the revival of the trade talks stalled in 2013. Exuding optimism over the chance to expand the cooperation to support “effective multilateralism and a rules-based order”, ahead of the summit, Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Antonio Costa of Portugal which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union jointly penned an editorial in Politico titled- “Trade and beyond: A new impetus to India-EU partnership”⁶.

Both leaders noted that, “India’s role as a major regional and global player is set to continue to expand over the coming years, and a strengthened partnership would offer Europe an opportunity to diversify relations in a strategic region of the World”. Clearly, India’s

Building on the architecture of the 1994 Strategic Partnership, the World’s two largest democratic spaces have initiated a dialogue to ‘rebalance relations between the EU and the Indo-Pacific’. Owing to burgeoning strategic importance of Indo-Pacific region in geopolitics and geoeconomics, India has emerged as a major pillar for partnership in the region.

EU besides being a leading foreign investor in India is also the biggest trading partner and second largest destination of Indian exports. Trade between India and the EU has increased 72% in the last decade. European investments have generated 1.7 million direct and 5 million indirect jobs⁶.

With multilateralism and the Indo-Pacific region dominating the agenda, building on convergences and fostering new synergies, India and EU agreed to jointly contribute “to a safer, greener, cleaner and more digital, resilient and stable world in line with the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the Paris Agreement”⁷.

Through the India-EU Clean Energy and Climate Partnership both sides are deepening cooperation and collaboration on renewable energy, climate change, encourage sustainable finance and investment on climate action, tackling air and water pollution, smart and sustainable urbanisation.

Badly affected by the pandemic, both sides agreed to cooperate on resilient medical supply chains, vaccines and the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and adherence to international good manufacturing standards to ensure high quality and safety of products. Despite the consensus building on the pandemic management and preparedness, both sides failed to arrive on common ground on the issue of waiver of IPR related to Covid vaccines.

To boost economic cooperation India and EU plan to hold two meeting on High-Level Dialogue on Trade and Investment and launch negotiations on stand-alone investment protection agreement and geographical indication. Determined to pursue digital transformation, India and EU agreed on deep technological cooperation on global digital standards and network security, Quantum and High- Performance computing.

The most important outcome is the announcement of sustainable and comprehensive connectivity partnership which is transparent, viable affirms to shared values of democracy, freedom and that upholds international law and aims at enhancing cooperation between India and EU through projects in Africa, Central Asia and Indo-Pacific to build digital, energy, transport and people to people connectivity. As a precursor to connectivity agenda, comprehensive cooperation on Mobility and Migration is mooted. In line with the EU’s Indo-Pacific Agenda, India and EU besides holding inaugural dialogue on maritime security, welcomed cooperation between the Indian Navy and EUNAVFOR Atalanta in the Indo-Pacific region.

In tune with changing strategic global contours, the EU is swiftly recognising the prominence of India as a responsible power in the Indo-Pacific region. Responding to these developments, CCP’s propaganda machinery, the Global Times published an article, “India put on table by EU as ‘backup plan’ for trade; side-lining China only ‘wishful thinking’” expressing its derision. It read, “however, it is becoming crystal clear to Western media and experts that such interaction between India and Europe shares another goal: to side-line or confront China, particularly when the China-Europe relationship has been souring due to growing tensions after the EU took a harsh stance on China’s Xinjiang-related issues, which also apparently weighed on ratifying the China-EU investment deal”⁸.

The historic India-EU summit is significant in many ways, not for the high-sounding moral epitaphs’ in the Joint Statement. But this event reflected the change in tenor and posture of the EU towards India, which in part can be attributed to New Delhi’s sustained diplomatic efforts but also to EU’s increasing tensions with China. EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy is thus an effort to balance the polarising power in the region. India, on the other hand in response to China’s challenge is investing on building alternate resilient supply chains, increasing domestic capacities and strengthening partnerships for a multipolar world.  

India’s political and diplomatic investments are now yielding fruits. Thanks to India’s health diplomacy, European countries have rallied around and supplied much needed supplies as the country battled the second wave. French President Emmanuel Macron’s statement, India doesn’t need to be “lectured from anyone” on vaccine supplies, sums up the kind of good will India has accumulated.

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Rooted in shared interests and shared values, Modi and Johnson reimagine Indo-UK ties

 Firm on reinvigorating the India-UK ties, UK Foreign Secretary visited India last year December to lay ground after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson accepted India’s invitation to be Guest of Honour for the Republic Day Celebrations. He announced about “Enhanced Trade Partnership” on cards. Escalation of the pandemic forced the cancellation and hindered Johnson’s biggest post-Brexit outreach. His visit which was re-scheduled for April 25^th was stalled after UK added India to Red List owing to grim pandemic situation. Overcoming the corona jinx, leaders held a virtual summit on May 4^th.

The pandemic hasn’t dimmed the spirits. On the contrary, it has become one of the prime pillars of cooperation. Galvanised by the successful production of Covid vaccine developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca in India by Serum Institute, leaders have agreed to prioritise collaboration through Joint Working Group on Health and Life Sciences and agreed to establish frame work of cooperation- India-UK Action Plan of Health and Life Sciences. As a good will gesture, as a token of friendship, in response to the ravaging pandemic, UK rushed Covid supplies to India ahead of the virtual summit.

Engaged in a strategic partnership since 2004, India and UK have now elevated the relationship to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and launched the “Roadmap 2030, India-UK Future Relations” to nurture strategic convergences in sync with the realities of the global challenges. Ambitious Road map, instituted to serve as a guide for multi-faceted ties for a period of 10 years proposed an upgrade of institutional mechanisms. This will include annual review of implementation by the Foreign Ministers, Economics and Financial Dialogue, Economic and Trade Dialogue and Strategic Dialogue besides the regular biennial Summit meets.

For long, the Indo-UK ties lagged behind as compared to New Delhi’s ties with other western countries. Perceptions through the colonial prism, inherent anti-India biases, colonial prejudices and the Britain’s Pakistan’s tilt have abraded Indo-UK relations. Currently the 1.6 million Brits of Indian Origin population and account for 6% of the GDP is serving as a “dynamic living bridge” between both countries.

Putting rest to all the inherent biases and the recent trend of inter-regional conflicts in South Asian turning into guiding factors of the Britain’s foreign policy calculus, Johnson reiterated strong intent to deepen bilateral ties. In an interview to TOI¹, Johnson stated that he is looking for “a relationship that is much greater than the sum of its part” over the next decade. He added, “the UK-India relationship is a modern partnership of equals”. By infusing new trust, Johnson has certainly attempted to harness the potential of shared values of both countries for global good.

Guided by the strong political will of Modi and Johnson, leaders have charted a framework to expand the breadth of multi-faceted strategic partnership in science, education, research, innovation, space, ICT and industrial collaboration.

Driven by post-Brexit economic challenges and 10% increase in bilateral trade in 2019² to 24 billion GBP leaders announced ETP to unlock the economic potential of cooperation for the private companies. India is the second largest FDI source in UK after US and UK is second fastest growing G-20 investors in India. UK moved out of EU and India refused to join China centered-RCEP are eager to step up economic partnership.

The ETP will lay ground for negotiations of a comprehensive free trade agreement and plans to reach scoping phase of FTA before the end of 2021³. Setting an ambitious target of doubling the bilateral trade by 2030, countries will now work towards removing market access barriers through the Joint Working Group on Trade.

Among the biggest outcomes of the summit has been the decision to deepen defence and security cooperation and finalisation of the new logistics MoU. Under Defence and International Security Partnership (DISP) unveiled in 2015, India and UK resolved to expand and enhance cooperation in cyber, defence and maritime collaboration and also support for “Make in India” initiative. UK has decided to determine as how it can help India’s Indigenous Light Combat Air MK2 program under Combat Air Collaboration.

India has recently raised FDI cap in defence to 74% and UK is keen on exploring tremendous opportunities in defence cooperation discussed about collaboration on key military technologies in combat aircraft, maritime propulsion systems.

To strengthen operational coordination during the deployment of UK’s Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group later this year, countries agreed to hold joint exercises. India has agreed to inviting UK’s Liaison officer to India’s Information Fusion Centre⁴.  Under the new maritime dialogue, India and UK besides promoting freedom of navigation, open access will enhance maritime cooperation through Grey and Whitewater shipping information sharing.

In March, UK has released an Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign which underscored the importance of Indo-Pacific for UK’s security. Partnership with India, a vital pillar of Indo-Pacific is thus indispensable for UK to realise its strategic aspirations in the region. Championing the idea of Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), India is engaging with its partners in the region through Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) to maintain peace stability and safety. UK is now exploring the potential for cooperation under IPOI. UK is now the fourth European Country to have announced Indo-Pacific agenda.

Owing to India’s reputation as world leader of Climate Action, UK espoused interest to work with New Delhi on climate change and low carbon transmission through a new partnership in renewables and green hydrogen. Both countries have agreed to launch India-UK Partnership on Forests, announce Green Grids Initiative at the UN Climate Summit COP-26 and to promote climate resilient infrastructure through a new facility for Small Island Developing States under Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

Countries have signed Migration Mobility Partnership (MMP) that will facilitate legal migration of skilled professionals aged 18-30 and in return India has agreed to take back illegitimate migrants in UK. Migration has been one of the major irritants in Indo-UK ties and Theresa May’s restrictive policy on immigration rankled Indians and underwhelmed her visit to India in 2016. A friendly Visa regime of Johnson is bound to instil more trust and boost trade ties.

Countries signed Nine MoUs which included a declaration for launch of ETP, Global Innovation Partnership, Migration and Mobility Partnership, fields of Digital and technology, ICT, Customs Cooperation, India Energy Security Scenario Calculator, medical products regulation and pharmacopeial cooperation⁵.

After the conclusion of summit meet, Johnson tweeted, “the UK and India share many fundamental values. The UK is one of the oldest democracies, and India is the World’s largest. We are both committed members of the Commonwealth. And there is a living bridge uniting the people of our countries”.

“In the last week, the British people have stepped up in their thousands to support our Indian friends during this terrible time in a demonstration of the deep connection between the UK and India”, he said. “This connection will only grow over the next decade as we do more together to tackle the World’s biggest problems and make life better for our people. The agreements we have made today mark the beginning of a new era in the UK-India relationship”⁶.

Modi tweeted, “Had a productive Virtual Summit with my friend UK PM Boris Johnson. We adopted an ambitious Roadmap 2030 for elevating India-UK ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”^6.

India-UK summit has come at a strategic juncture when UK has grown wary of China’s stifling of Hongkong’s autonomy, designation the Uighur containment as genocide has decided to remove Huawei 5G by 2027. China’s inimical global ambitions are yet another reason why UK and even European countries are looking up to India. Besides India’s huge market potential, demography, New Delhi has been consistently repelling Beijing’s offensive.

Amid the geopolitical and strategic geo-economic realignments, India and UK displayed new dynamism to transform and revive ties mired in prejudices. Underscoring the importance of multipolar word, a coalition of middle countries is coming up to belie fears of a return of Cold war era. Addressing mobility and trade, the two major bottlenecks, Modi and Johnson infused new energy by laying down mutually beneficial terms of endearment. A stable economic partnership is indispensable to weather politically motivated discontentment. By prioritising trade and finding common ground on various global challenges, leaders have revitalised the trajectory of India-UK ties.

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Is ongoing post-poll violence in Bengal an offshoot of Mamata’s legacy politics?

Experts in the recent past warned of foreboding “Demography is Destiny”. Despite the wise counsel, Indians chose to disregard it. Then the Bengal Elections happened. Political analysts across the board propounded various postulates for the unstoppable electoral triumph of TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee. Mamata’s landslide victory for a third time in a row winning over two-thirds seats amid poor or insignificant economic development, lack of employment opportunities and communal fissures surprised many. In this make or break kind of election for Mamata, Left and Congress drew blank and the newly formed pan-Islamic front ISF managed a single seat and BJP which was confident of forming a government ended up with 77 seats. The results point to an unequivocal vote consolidation. In fact, Muslim vote consolidation has instrumental for Banerjee’s stupendous victory.

Just moments after the election results were declared, BJP’s Arambagh’s office was reduced to ashes, Suvendu Adhikari’s car was attacked, BJP karyakarthas were chased, hunted and murdered. A sudden burst of violence gripped the state. The callous response of the state machinery, law and order agencies seemingly indicated as if there was an unsigned agreement to unveil a pogrom on political rivals.

Even during the election campaigning, the incumbent party supremo made secret of her intentions in several videos that appeared on the social media including an open threat to political challengers. But the brutal murder of hapless citizens for exercising their basic constitutional right of choosing and voting a political entity of their choice has sent shock waves across the country. Though political violence isn’t uncommon in Bengal, the current episode of pogrom which hovered on the margins of political terrorism has been a rude shock to everyone and especially to BJP. Having clinched the reigns for the second time with a brute majority, people had high expectations from the party to defend, protect and save them from these political killings.

But the abject apathy and helplessness expressed by the party in the dire crisis left them dejected and disappointed. Besides BJP the offices of other political parties were raided and destroyed. Barring strong worded tweets, not a single party worth its grain came out openly to condemn this macabre of violence unleashed on the citizens of Bengal, mostly Hindus. Hailing the restoration of Democracy in Bengal, Congress party has brazened it out and preferred to remain a mute spectator. While the inaction of BJP warrants a detailed discussion, the stoic silence of all political parties and their ecosystem to the grievous murder and massacre of BJP workers who majorly included Hindus should be a cause of concern.

For eons, selective outrage and filtering the events through communal prism has become order of the day reaching its zenith in the Modi regime. The caustic condemnation has always been reserved for the Hindus irrespective of the genesis and repercussions of the events. But the post-election violence in Bengal with all the makings of an insurgency must be investigated and quelled with brute force and authority if needed.

Under the garb of secularism, Indian authorities have lived in a denial for a fear of angering the minority, which by no account can be deemed as minority with their population touching 200 crores. Muslim population in Bengal which was 12% at the time of partition has reached 30% in some districts. Finding the Bangladeshi Muslim infiltration as a potential vote bank successive political leadership turned a blind eye to their unrestrained infiltration disregarding the impending consequences on the delicate social fabric and national security. In Murshidabad, Muslims are the dominant population making up for close to 70%.

As the Muslim population began to swell, riots, restrictions on free speech and religion have become integral to society. Incidentally, the six Muslim majority districts of Bengal- Malda, Murshidabad, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Uttar Dinajpur, Birbhum have turned into safe havens for Islamists and hotbeds for communal clashes. Thanks to Muslim population explosion which doesn’t follow family planning their votes are now a crucial factor in deciding the poll outcome of 100 seats.

Despite several alerts from the National Security Agencies, the government of the day refrained from imposing stringent checks on the nefarious activities emanating from these regions. On the contrary, apprehensive of falling foul with Muslims, parties heaped special privileges, financial sops to win their favour.

Leveraging the vote bank, the community began penetrating all the agencies- political processes, law enforcement and media. Together, these developments have heralded Bengal into a state where curbs on religious practices and freedom of speech have become a regular feature. Already, some regions in Murshidabad are given into implementing the doctrine and religious practices of Shariah. Change in demography has slowly but inexorably changed the socio-political attributes of the state.

Since the turn of the century, governments began to acquiesce the demands of blasphemy and the Kolkata riots in 2007 against Taslima Nasreen has been first major signal of the pluralistic Bengal society yielding to intolerant factions. Unrelenting protests forced the state to call Army for help.

After Mamata took over as Chief Minister, she doubled up Muslim appeasement. Religious fundamentalism thrived. In response to homicide of a Mullah in 2013 in Naliakhali village, communally motivated people unleashed a wave of violence and burnt down over 200 Hindu homes and displaced 2000 people. Most of the riots were fomented and actively supported by SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) and ISI. Investigation agencies during their raid on the banned outfit SIMI recovered a map of a separate Caliphate, Mughalistan for Muslims of India comprising parts of Pakistan, Bangladesh and parts of Northern India¹.

Mamata’s Muslim pandering is enabling the radical Islamist outfits, who are rooting for second partition of India to expand their foothold. Envisaged as a large corridor running through the Indo-Gangetic plain to include the Muslim majority regions of India, Mughalistan was developed by Mughalstan Research Institute (MRI), Bangladesh with the patronage of ISI and Bangladesh’s Director General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI). It is believed to be a part of Zia-ul-Haq’s Operation Tupac, a grandiose plan to balkanise India².

Natural corollary of Muslim dominance has been targeted violent attacks on Hindus. The plummeting Hindu population in Bangladesh and Pakistan serve as prime examples. This thumb rule has no exceptions in West Bengal either where riots are common place especially in border regions. Hindu homes, places of worship and businesses are selectively destroyed raising “Naara-e-takbeer” slogans.

Offering a deeper insight about the repercussions of explosion of Muslim population to non-Muslim societies, Janet Levy in the article- “The Muslim Takeover of Bengal” in 2015, warned of serious implications³. Written in the context of the implications of a growing Muslim population in the non-Muslim societies, as a caution to European countries planning to offer shelter to Muslim refugees, Janet refers to the gradual transmogrification of West Bengal.

Since her ascension to power, Mamata has invested heavily in cultivating her vote bank through special allowances to Mullahs, regularising over 10,000 Saudi-funded Madrassas (indoctrination centres) built exclusive townships, hospitals, universities, colleges and hostels for Muslims. Offered subsidies and scholarship to Muslim youth. Under her watch the number of Muslim legislators has also increased. To earn their sympathies, she even recited the Kalima Shahadat, an Islamic conversion prayer amidst Imams.

The results are for us to see. Muslims vote along the lines dictated by Imams. Having won the favours of Imams, Mamata ramped home victory with thumping majority.

Under her regime, entire Hindu villages in Muslim majority districts are being targeted, terrorised and forced to convert. Hindu women are molested, raped forcing families to flee to safer areas for livelihood selling their lands and houses. Hindus temples are vandalised or destroyed, Hindu leaders are killed and festivals are not allowed to be celebrated. Hindu population is steadily depleting in the border regions. The demographics of the region are now being altered.

Bengal is now Kashmir in making. The well-orchestrated pogrom which is now passed off as post-poll violence against BJP workers is in fact a targeted attempt to persecute Hindus. Reports now indicate that Hindus across the party lines are targeted and that nearly 1 lakh Bengalis have fled since the eruption of violence on May 2^nd. Hemanta Biswa Sharma, BJP Assam leader took to twitter to inform that 450 Bengalis crossed over to Assam⁴. Incidentally, the ongoing post-poll violence is an offshoot of Mamata’s appeasement politics. 14 BJP workers are killed in these targeted attacks.

India’s partition in 1947, the forced exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990 and rapid Islamisation of Kashmir valley are grim reminders of how Islamic expansionism dictated by Islamic doctrines and augured by demographic dominance work. India has thus far paid heavy price for failing to learn lessons from the past and heeding to warnings. Unfortunately, Bengal which reeled under barbaric Direct Action Day is reliving the harrowing experiences through these periodic unremitting attacks.

Power greedy politicians and the secular lobbies are shamelessly offering cover to the fundamentalists perpetrating soft jihad in India. While Hindu unity can alone repulse and snuff out the roots of Islamic fanaticism, intellectuals must explore legal measures to curb the unrestrained appeasement. Above all, India must institute constitutional remedial measures outlawing any attempts to balkanise India.

 

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Despicable narrative setting of the Western Media agencies as India reels from second Wuhan virus wave

Devastating second wave of Wuhan virus has stuck India with such ferocity that life will never be the same again for lakhs of families who lost their near and dear ones. Deemed as “Crisis of the Century”, Wuhan virus pandemic has exposed the glaring lapses in the Indian health system and created a mayhem which hopefully might lay foundations for the total revamp of the entire system. To tide over this unprecedented crisis, Government of India has expended all resources at its helm. While experts have warned of an impending pandemic wave, they couldn’t assess the scale and proportion of the virus spread.

Talking about the intensity of the second wave, Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary Department of Science &Technology stated that their modelling studies couldn’t predict the scale, intensity and ferocity of the wave. Predictions by Dr VK Paul on April 2^nd predicted an infection wave peaking in the third-fourth week of April with a case load of less than 1 lakh. But the confirmed infections were nearly three times¹. At the time of writing India has reported 32.68 lakh active cases and 2.11 lakh fatalities.

Staggering Wuhan virus infections since mid-April have changed the dynamics of the pandemic management. Aside the complacency of government agencies, and citizens who arrogantly threw caution to wind enthused by flattening of the first wave of Wuhan virus, the second wave has been triggered by a more infectious double strain of SARS-CoV-2 that fuelled a rapid rise in infections. Like the countries across the World, India’s health system was overwhelmed.

Just as the first World countries scrambled for resources during the first wave and continue to do so, India was plagued by scarcity of resources. Treacherous virus, rendered even the best health systems across the World ineffective. Despite the pitfalls, the West was shielded from scrutiny which countries like India, a third World country is painstakingly subjected to. Ever since, India has been grappling the second wave of Wuhan virus, probing eyes of the Western media began to churn exclusive reports of India’s misfortunes.

Though Wuhan virus wreaked havoc in the West, bereft of the gumption to attribute the pandemic to China and calling it the Chinese virus, the Western media mischievously termed the double mutant as Indian variant. Indeed, this propaganda didn’t end there.

Patronising the pliant media and its overground agents, the West began peddling a narrative while India battled the ferocious second wave. The inexorable detestation of the West for the Hindus and more so the Modi regime is very established by now. Amid the burgeoning surge of Modi’s popularity and BJP’s resurgence in the poll-bound states, the West with their hand-maidens in India have kick started a new perception. It began to push the idea that the current wave was exacerbated by the Kumbh Mela congregation and the election rallies.

Interestingly by this logic, the farmers sit out protests at Delhi border for over the past five months and the sar tan se juda protests attended by lakhs of protestors are also equally potent beds of infection. But all the censure was reserved for the aforementioned events. This bigotry and hypocrisy was further amplified by the Western agencies- “Super-spreader’ erupts as devout Hindus throng Indian festival”² and the Al Jazeera article- “Rallies, religious gatherings aggravate India’s worst COVID surge”³. The Wire went a step ahead and heaped the entire blame on Modi alone even as multiple parties actively participated in the election campaigning in its piece- “PM Modi a ‘Super Spreader’, responsible for COVID Second wave: IMA’s Navjot Dahiya”⁴.

Ironically these very agencies raised no alarm to the Tabligi congregation during the first wave and the violent nation-wide Black Lives Matter protests in America. While there is no denying of fact that large congregations will breed and proliferate infection, what is condescending is the blatant hypocrisy and the double speak by these Anglicised Brown Elite of India working in cahoots with the vested interests which is incorrigibly evident. The case in fact, is the announcement of cancellation of election day telecast by a leading Indian media agency.

Anticipating the fall out of a huge massive election rallies in pandemic times perhaps, before Bihar assembly elections last year, BJP proposed virtual campaigns (like in US Presidential Elections). But opposition argued that it is discriminatory and violative of equality⁵.

Given the unabated surge of infections, Modi government is cornered for its abject failure now. But interestingly, these agencies fail to pat India’s back for successfully managing the first wave. Instead of making a positive contribution towards curbing the pandemic resurgence, individuals and entities began to spread the vaccine hesitancy and posed biggest hurdle for the vaccination program which could have potentially contained the severity of infection from flaring up.

The misguided and the politically motivated campaign against the well-intentioned vaccination drive is now costing the country enormously in terms of resources and the crucial medical help to be diverted to viral infections which could have normally recovered with regular medical supervision.

Not withstanding the advancement of the politically motivating agenda which is opening and widening the existing fissures in the country, the vested interests resorted to be most inhuman and despicable propaganda over the deaths in India due to Wuhan virus.

With one of the lowest Cumulative Fatality Rate (CFR) of 1.1% while India is doing comparably well, undue alarm has been raised over the misreporting or rather underreporting by some states (read as BJP-ruled states). But all these pointed fingers failed to call the bluff of Andrew Cuomo, Mayor of New York who has reportedly fudged Wuhan virus fatalities in state’s nursing home which runs into several thousands⁶.

As the death numbers continue to mount, the travesty and the plight of the bereaved families has become a big propaganda tool for the vested interests. Unmindful of sensitivities of the families who lost dear ones, media agencies began to predate on them for misery stories. Also, by comparing the absolute numbers without normalising to deaths per million, the West (significantly the American media) prominently with a population less than one-fourth of Indian population is stoking a panic wave.

Violating the basic decency, journalists resorted to the most awful act of capturing the image of the funeral pyres in the cremation grounds. Denying the individuals and the families of the minimalistic privacy, feeding on the Western dollars, journalists started splashing the most heart wrenching images of families and mass cremation of drone captures as headlines. Brazenly, these journalists defended these acts under the umbrage of befitting reportage of the humanitarian crisis.

Morbid obsession of the media agencies to mock at India and Hindus amid this collective misery and suffering invariably reflected the deplorable colonial mindset and their despicable entitlement.  The West which is very touchy about coverage of the death and personal tragedies, miserably failed in extending similar courtesies to India.

Even as netizens questioned the vulture journalism and the vicarious pleasure in grisly visuals of the pandemic funerals, hankering for an air time on international news channels, Indian journalists started marketing even personal loss to tarnish India’s image.

There is no denial of the fact that the second wave has left India scrambling for resources. The health systems of the most developed countries failed to cope out with scale of infections. People in Israel, Germany, France, Poland, the Netherlands Nepal and several Latin American countries took to streets to protest government’s mishandling of the pandemic. While this is no excuse to absolve the glaring inefficiencies of the central and state governments, the media which is supposed to play a responsible role has exacerbated the crisis with panic mongering.

This woefully irresponsible journalism has prompted medical professionals in India to write to the government to issue some curbs and rein in on their callous reporting⁷. Media the fourth pillar of state is expected to report facts to dispel myths.

Incapable of seeing anything beyond gloom and despair, the positive stories and the collective efforts put together by corporates, individuals, startups, voluntary organisations which could infuse positivity were strikingly avoided by the media and the influential elite brigade of India.

Keen on lapping any opportunity, to pull rug under India’s current dispensation which they love to hate, tending to the vested interests (read the Break India forces), media and the cabal is using the pandemic to foster an inimical agenda. Devoid of logic and sensibility, the unbridled negativity and anti-Indian propaganda touching nauseating levels. It is time to call the bluff of these media agencies which are acting at the behest of vested interests.

Clearly all hasn’t been lost, tragedies and catastrophes strengthen the resolve of individuals and countries to mount a battle with rejuvenated commitment. The most important lesson this entire episode has taught is how narratives are being set and their impact on the World’s perception about a nation. Having succeeded in setting narrative in America recently, the cabal is trying to replicate the same in India a bastion which the cabal is trying to penetrate since 2014.

The vilification is so acute that Foreign Minister Jaishankar has asked diplomats to take on the one-sided World media narrative on government’s pandemic failure⁸. Here in comes the prophetic words message of Vikram Sood in his book “The Ultimate Goal” handy where he enumerates- “Narratives are not the truth; rather, they nudge you to understand the truth in a particular way. They are never neutral or innocent; they are always strategic. Narratives are about perceptions-of events and goals”. Read together with George Orwell’s stance, “political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind” it makes clear sense of what is being fed to us under the garb of news and expert analysis.

Don’t get swayed away by this politically motivated agenda, lest you end up harming your own interests and interests of the nation.

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China’s contentious diplomacy at work as India battles Wuhan Virus

The second Wuhan virus wave overwhelmed India’s limited health resources and exposed the glaring under-preparedness of governments. Plagued by a tsunami of infections which increased several folds in two months, India is pooling up all the resources to wade through the bio-warfare (as alluded by some analysts).

China has a typical way of carrying out diplomacy and The Global Times which leads its propaganda machinery has plays a major role. Unlike the media agencies of other countries, which can be dismissed as regular banter of media outlets, Dragon’s governance is highly opaque and these propaganda agencies at times offer crucial insights about Beijing’s policies.

At this juncture, in what can be considered as a precursor to the Wolf-warrior diplomacy during the first wave of Wuhan virus pandemic, The Global Times, CCP’s mouth piece published an article, titled, “Be Wary of India’s provocation amid worsening pandemic”.

Rallying the message of CCP to Delhi, the opening paragraph read, “as the COVID-19 epidemic continues to worsen in India, the country may turn to old tricks, such as initiating provocations on its borders with China or Pakistan, fanning nationalist sentiments at home, to distract people’s attention”¹.

Imputing motives where there exists none, Beijing’s provocative machinery has attempted to needle the precarious Indo-Chinese ties which plummeted following a year long stand-off at the LAC.  These searing remarks amid a stalemate that ensued post 11^th Indo-China commander level talks on forward movement in disengagement at friction points- Hot Springs, Depsang and Gogra ringed of caution. Accordingly, despite the raging pandemic, Army Chief MM Naravane visited the forward positions in Eastern Ladakh and Siachen to review operational preparedness.

With the pull back of troops by both sides from the North and South Pangong Tso, in February while Chinese threat has abated it hasn’t gone away completely. After the tactical withdrawal at the strategic location, China has adopted an inflexible approach. The undue reference to provocations now might thus be China’s way of reminding India of the intimidation inflicted during the first wave of Wuhan virus pandemic.

Under the pandemic cover last year, China has intensified its expansionist agenda in South China Sea,  indulged in indiscriminatory air space violations and maritime incursions across Taiwan Straits and Senakaku contiguous area, penetrative incursions across LAC, illegal occupation of the border pillar areas of Nepal and laying claims to the wild life sanctuary to Bhutan’s Trashigang area.

Shifting gears, taking an indirect dig at India’s handling of the Wuhan pandemic, the article also suggested, “against the backdrop of the pandemic deteriorating, New Delhi should open its mind and figure out a way to get Beijing’s help to curb the grave spread of the disease”.  As an extension to this article, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin summed up, “the Chinese side notes that the epidemic situation in India is severe and there is a temporary shortage of epidemic prevention and medical supplies. We are ready to provide necessary support and assistance to India so that they can control the epidemic”².

With an offer of help, which Delhi would be least willing seek given the bloodshed at the Galwan valley and the brazen breach of trust, Beijing has grabbed the headlines. The news hungry Indian media immediately lapped up the benign announcement. Post announcement, Indian traders reported of an escalation of air freight charges by over 20%.

Indeed, this volte-face doesn’t come as a surprise to many analysts. To duck the charges of the complicity of Wuhan virus, China first unveiled mask diplomacy. Under the garb of generosity Beijing distributed medical supplies to countries, which it has received as gifts from other nations when it was hit by the pandemic. In this image building exercise, China shipped defective supplies to several countries. When countries questioned China’s dubious diplomacy, Beijing’s wolf-war diplomats initially countered and later threatened smaller countries of consequences by imposing heavy tariffs on imports and crippling trade sanctions.

India sent 15 tonnes of medical supplies to China when China struggled to contain the virus spread. But China returned the favour with an offensive at the LAC and low-quality medical kits.

China’s help is not genuine and its intentions are well exposed by another scathing piece titled “Devastating epidemic ‘may drag Indian economy back to 20 years ago’; China stands ready to help” on Global Times which brazenly asks India, “to put aside political biases to learn from China”². Till now, World hasn’t forgotten Chinese help that required countries to co-finance vaccine trials and the insistence of mandatory Chinese vaccine jabs to obtain a visa. Vaccine efficacy of Chinese jabs is still questionable and they are not listed by WHO. Only after countries sought reciprocity did China back down.

Unlike the India’s Vaccine Maitri which came with no strings attached, China is using the vaccines for political purposes.

Barely 24 hours of Beijing’s offer of help, Sichuan airlines suspended cargo flights to India for 15 days citing the pandemic situation affecting the logistics of medical supplies chain. Though fresh media reports indicate that the airlines is re-evaluating a final plan to resume services to India. Official statement from the airlines is still awaited. Interestingly, the airlines operated throughout the pandemic carrying all kinds of Chinese products to India. But at the crucial hour of need, citing fear of importing infections, Sichuan defended its decision.

Reiterating its pledge Chinese ambassador tweeted, “it would encourage and guide Chinese companies to actively participate in facilitating various needed medical supplies for India”³. Contrarily, Chinese manufacturers have jacked prices of the COVID supplies by 35 -40% ⁴ amid demand surge for supplies in India. China’s inhuman practices is a testimony to its diabolical policies, duplicity and is in contravention to basic ethics of professed harmony and empathy.

Last year, China tightened export restrictions stalled the supply of much needed COVID protective gear, ventilators, masks and other essential supplies when America was scrambling for resources. These logjams have strained China’s relations with America⁵. China’s callous approach during the pandemic has exposed its real intentions.

Henry Kissinger’s prophetic words, “to be an enemy of America is dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal” dominated the narrative in India following Biden administration’s delayed response to India’s appeal for export of raw material for vaccine production. Not contend with the incongruency in its words and actions amid ravaging pandemic, the Global times piece also attempted to drive a wedge between India and the US.  In its characteristic scathing tone, China’s propaganda machinery remarked, “this pandemic shows that the West’s getting closer to India is more in a geopolitical sense”. “Western public opinion has not shown the same concern about India’s epidemic situation as it did to that of Europe and the US. Or maybe it is because India’s population is too large, and they believe it is not realistic for the West to “save India,”¹it added.

Since the resurrection of Quad, China hasn’t missed any opportunity to ignite a strategic dawdling in India by alluding to India’s burgeoning partnership with US as antithetical to its stated “strategic autonomy”. Despite the pandemic, China is leaving no stone unturned to sow seeds of distrust

With its insensitive, mercantilist approach, China has shown the World what it stands for. Beijing’s solemn pledge for a collective fight against Wuhan virus pandemic is farce. Rightly so, India declined Beijing’s invite to join its initiative for fighting the pandemic with South Asian nations⁶. Giving a cold shoulder India refused to recognise the initiative altogether. Notably this initiative has come at a time when SAARC countries are forced to look for an alternative vaccine supply after India’s vaccine manufacturers are overwhelmed with country’s increasing demand for vaccines.

Ever keen to cast a dominating influence in India’s neighbourhood and with India busy attending to Wuhan virus pandemic, Beijing is working hard to woo SAARC nations. Having triggered this preventable crisis, China besides exploiting the pandemic to its fullest is now lecturing India about how to handle the Wuhan virus pandemic.

Dominated by two inward looking major powers, the World which is witnessing a leadership crisis which can herald a united fight against the Wuhan virus. Consequently, countries are rendered vulnerable to this pandemic in an interconnected world. Unrepentant of its despicable moral irresponsibility, China is milking this opportunity to inflict every possible damage on India, a befitting challenger to its regional hegemony. Time World comes together to push back and show China, its real place, a condemnable global pariah!!!

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