Covid pandemic has inexorably laid out bare the defining attributes of every nation state. China has been no exception. Stealthy salami slicing across the LAC, reunification threats and blatant intimidation of Taiwan, military adventurism in South China Sea, maritime incursions into North Natuna Sea during the pandemic exposed the naked belligerence of China. Brutal crackdown on the pro-democracy movement, enforcement of National Security Law, ‘Patriots-Only’ (pro-Beijing) legislative election in Hongkong offered a sneak peek into Beijing’s totalitarianism.
New Maritime Law of September 2021, China-Bhutan
border agreement of October 2021, China’s border law which came into force from
January 1st have underscored the rapacious expansionism of the
Dragon. Giving teeth to its unrestrained expansionist pursuits of the Middle
Kingdom, President Xi is now unabashed about its global power ambitions. Making
no secret of its intentions, on the eve of the Centenary celebrations of
Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Xi vowed, “we will never allow anyone to
bully, oppress or subjugate China. Anyone who dares try to do that will have
their heads bashed bloody against the Great Wall of Steel forged by over 1.4
billion Chinese people”1.
Effortlessly replacing its rather famed “sophisticated”
foreign policy with Wolf Warrior Diplomacy during the pandemic, China changed
the course of its engagement. China’s “hectoring” which has been in
second nature became more obvious owing to China’s coercive economic and
diplomatic action against a puny nation Lithuania. Pumping up the nationalistic
spirit, to divert nation’s attention from an economic slump Xi has fired up all
cylinders on reunification of Taiwan mission. Lithuania’s support to Taiwan and
its act of permitting the island nation to set up an office- “Taiwanese
Representative Office” as against the regular norm of having a “Taipei
Economic and Cultural Office” which invariably deprives it of an
independent identity sans China has riled China.
Displaying unusual courage, despite CCP’s attempts to
bully Lithuania, it refused to succumb. Reiterating its fealty to democratic
principles, to avoid an economic fallout Vilnius is now mulling a financial
assistance of $147 million to companies affected by dispute with China2. Standing up to Chinese unofficial economic
blockades against Lithuania, Taiwan bought 20,000 bottles of rum from Lithuania
destined for China. Earlier, China reportedly blocked shipments of beer from
Lithuania, to avoid such a spate, Taiwan stood up for Lithuania.
China’s heavy-handed tactics has inadvertently dented
Dragon’s image impelling nations to follow Lithuania’s path. By now, the World
is too familiar with China’s efforts to poach Taiwan’s diplomatic allies which
has reduced from 19 in 2016 to mere 13 as of now. Protests on Solomon Islands
and an announcement by newly elected Nicaraguan President Ortega barely a week
into the office severing ties with Taiwan have only consolidated the World view
of China’s bullying strategies. Clearly, Lithuania’s defiance is a tipping
point.
Back in the region, post-Doklam, India and China
unveiled informal summit meets to reset ties. In 2018, seeking a peaceful
relationship, acknowledging the sensitivities of China, Indian government asked
state functionaries to avoid Tibetan events. But the incorrigible Dragon,
besmirching the mutual trust, at the height of the pandemic intruded into the
Indian side of LAC in 2020. Having suffered a bloody nose during the violent
clash at Galwan valley China’s fantasies of overpowering India have come to a naught.
Though PLA has disengaged with Indian troops at PP14 (Galwan Valley) and
Pangong Tso. Even now the troops are stationed at various friction points
including Depsang Valley and Hot Springs.
Though China has agreed to pull back troops, 13 rounds
of border talks failed to resolve the log-jam. Currently both sides are yet to finalise
dates for next round of Commander level talks. Turning the souring relations
more acrimonious, being an ace-player of mind games, China started wielding the
tools of deception, treachery and propaganda against India.
Even as the border standoff has failed to make any
breakthrough needling India’s indisputable sovereignty and insinuating India,
China renamed 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh in Mandarin despite India’s
unequivocal assertion of Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India. While
this is argued as China’s reaction to RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s meeting with
Dalai Lama at Dharmashala in December. Given China’s spree of violation of
mutual agreements with impunity, India shed the needless compunction to shy
away from engaging with the Dalai Lama. Since
the Sino-Indian logjam, upping pressure along the Eastern sector, PLA began
executing the forward policy of constructing enclaves close to the North Saing
basin and expanding 101-home village in upper Subansiri basin.
In December last week, brazenly, breaching diplomatic
etiquettes, the Chinese Embassy in India shot off an impolite letter to six MPs
who attended a dinner meet organised by Tibetan government in exile. The
political counsellor of Chinese Embassy threatened MPs to refrain from engaging
with “out and out separatist political group and an illegal organization”.
The letter which had bearings of Dragon’s characteristic wolf-warrior diplomacy
stated, “Indian government has recognized that Tibetan Autonomous Region is
part of territory of PRC” and chided, “you are a senior politician who
know the China-India relations well. It is hoped that you could understand the
sensitivity of the issue and refrain from providing support to ‘Tibetan
independence forces’”3.
Responding to China’s insolence, the spokesperson of
Central Tibetan Administration shot back, “Tibet issue is certainly not an
internal issue of China. Whatever happens in Tibet is a serious matter of
concern for all the people around the World… China must stop growling here
&there all the time”.
Even Tibetan Parliament in-exile issued a press
statement condemning Chinese act of sending letters to Indian MPs and said, “China
is intimidated by the growing support for the Tibet movement around the World”. The statement reiterated, “Historically
Tibet has never been a part of China. Since the illegal and violent occupation
of Tibet, China has oppressed the Tibetans under its brutal and draconian
policy. Tibetans inside Tibet are deprived of their fundamental rights and the
situation inside Tibet remains grill till date. Hence, the Tibetan issue is not
an ‘internal affair’ as China has repeatedly claimed but a critical concern of
Tibetan existence”4. This eloquent rebuttal is a loss of
face for China, which is already facing global censure for ‘Uighur genocide’.
Responding to China’s breach of Taiwan’s ADIZ and
President Xi’s New Year’s address, saying “complete unification of ‘the
motherland’ was an aspiration shared by people on both sides of Taiwan straits”,
President Tsai Ing-Wen warned China. She said, “we must remind Beijing
authorities not to misjudge the situation and to prevent the internal expansion
of military adventurism”5.
Meanwhile, in continuation of its psych-ops war
against India, China released a propaganda video of a flag rising ceremony allegedly
at Galwan valley. The video which was posted by Chinese handles went viral on
social media on the dawn of 2022. The day also marked the adoption of
controversial border law. Amplifying the Chinese propaganda and underscoring
the consequences of new border law, a section of Indian media and Rahul Gandhi
lashed out at Indian government for failing to safeguard territorial integrity
of the country.
Refuting the dubious video, three days later, Indian
Army released pictures of soldiers hoisting Indian flag at the Galwan Valley.
Incidentally, reports now indicate that Chinese social media, Weibo users
pointed that CCP has used Chinese actors to shoot a video 28 kms behind Galwan
River within the Chinese side on Dec 24th for four hours6.
China has been using every trick in its playbook to
provoke India. Disputing Chinese chicanery, India sharply reacted to China’s
act of naming 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh and said, the state is an integral
part of India and “assigning invented names to the places………. doesn’t alter
this fact”7. Hitting out at China, MEA spokesperson said,
“we hope that instead of engaging in such antics, China will work
constructively with us to resolve the outstanding friction points in areas
along the Western sector of the LAC in India-China border areas”.
Giving an earful to China, India took serious
objection to the tone and tenor of the letters written by the political
counsellor of Chinese embassy to Indian MPs. During the weekly briefing, MEA
spokesperson said, “the Chinese side should note that India is a vibrant
democracy and Honourable Members of Parliament as representatives of the people
undertake activities as per their views and beliefs. We expect the Chinese side
to refrain from hyping normal activities by activities of Honourable Members of
Parliament and complicate further the situation in our bilateral relations”8.
With its hectoring behaviour, strong-arm tactics, contemptuousness
towards international law, China has brazenly breached every rule of law. The
despotic bully overpowered by hubris is now brazenly seeking to run over the
sovereignties of vulnerable states. Throwing the peaceful rise paradigm to wind
and unleashing muscular revisionism, it has opened several fronts. Unmindful of
ever plummeting international repute, steered by “century of humiliation”
China is marching ahead to realise “Chinese Dream”.
Certainly, nation states are in no mood to be cowed by
the Chinese hubris and are resisting its coercion and calling the bluff of
China’s “mutual respect” and “win-win cooperation”.
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