Dealing with aggressive China will require India to take strict measures such as media sensitisation, calculated choice of words and intelligent responses by the government and military leaders, inclusive closed-door discussions, debates and decisions. China being the proponent of deception warfare, this time it uses timidity and confusion as tools against India along with direct and indirect methods of warfare

by Manjari Singh

Following the controversy over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement during the All-Party Meeting (APM) held on 19 June; Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has press released a clarification on what the PM really intended to say. Before the press release, on 19 June itself Indian media published and conducted debates on the implications that the PM’s address will have on Indian narrative on the standoff. Released videos showed PM Modi saying that there was no incursion on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) (na wahan koi humari seema me ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai, na hi humari koi post kisi dusre ke kabje me hai). Notably, LAC is a perception based line between the two nations that is neither marked on a map nor demarcated on the land. The Indian and Chinese perceptions continue to differ.

During his closing address at the APM, the PM asserted certain key points, namely, no intrusion leading to capture of posts; preparedness of Indian Army with full autonomy at operational levels as and when needed; that martyrs sacrifice will not be forgotten; that up gradation of border infrastructure is required for better patrolling and to safeguard the sovereignty of the nation; and that peaceful and diplomatic efforts are desirable. Allegedly and unfortunately only selective issues like “no intrusion” were picked up by the media and analysts.

Leaving the discussion on the border issues to the experts, as an Indian researcher but not a Sinologist, following are the concerns: One, the disproportionate attention on a single point agenda showcased is a threat to India’s national security. Two, only a portion of the video is released and not in entirety. Three, when India is grappling with COVID-19 along with Chinese transgression and the fact that China has already been using all the Indian sources (Media, Government, Military) on its social media to mould the facts; was it really necessary to conduct the post-mortem of sitting PM’s address at this point of time? One is not questioning the sensitivity of the issue; however, when China is using our public spats to its advantage, Indians are only facilitating it. Perhaps, we seem to forget that under critical times, we should follow the dictum, ‘National Outlook for National Security.’ Therefore, post mortems can wait!

Revamped Chinese Three Warfare Strategy of 2010 includes public opinion, psychological and legal warfare as basic components; however, international public opinion in the present context has taken precedence in Chinese faceoff with India which is facilitated by social media sharing of second-to-second details.

Moreover, China being the proponent of deception warfare, this time it uses timidity and confusion as tools against India along with direct and indirect methods of warfare. Timidity, when its media mouthpieces especially the Global Times Editor-in-Chief, Hu Xijin, actively posts on his Twitter handle alleging India’s intention to malign China, blaming India for being the aggressor by moulding/twisting facts suiting his country’s narrative. Confusion, as it uses India’s democratic setup and the many voices, difference of opinions etc to its advantage. Directly, it engages with the Indian forces along the LAC and indirectly China utilises social media to increase its sphere of influence by waging psychological and information warfare. There are additional threats of Chinese probable cyber attacks in the country. Notably, these tactics are not new; Sun Tzu’s age old seminal work Art of War finds mention of all. And yet Indians are often caught off guard.

Indian Foreign policy discourse believes in poly-centralism as the essential feature and represents India as a plural and multi-aligned actor that engages with all major or upcoming powers; however, China is uniquely placed in its foreign policy. There is a need to rethink on India’s China policy as it cannot be ignored that at various instances and forums China has various roles to play. It is a collaborator (G20, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) and other organisations), inhibitor (related to election of India as a UN non-permanent member which it became on 17 June 2020), competitor (as two South Asian giants), and trading partner (owing to US$3 trillion trade between the two) but is never a facilitator!

Thus, uniquely placed China in India’s growth and security calculus makes experts believe that China is a challenge and not a threat. Nonetheless, if not addressed tactically and strategically, this challenge has the potential to turn into a threat. More so, when China’s expansionist policies to become a world power is no more a secret! And it is determined to achieve that by any means as also the accepted fact that China does not play by the rules. Therefore, for India, dealing with China will require a whole of nation approach which calls for a united resolution.

Dealing with aggressive China will require India to take strict measures such as media sensitisation, calculated choice of words and intelligent responses by the government and military leaders, inclusive closed-door discussions, debates and decisions. This means that Sinologists in the country, policy makers, Think Tanks, military, government, media and civil society all should facilitate the government with their inputs. There is also a requirement to invoke signed treaties at the international forums before indulging into any constructions along the borders so that no accusations can be laid out against us. Laid-back attitude on the part of India needs to be shed. Additionally, India needs to reformulate a robust China policy.

Today, International Relations are guided by realism and national interests, where if there are no permanent foes, there is no permanency in friendship too. India needs to be aware of that.

As, following the Doklam Standoff, the two countries signed an agreement for relative peace during the Wuhan Summit to not engage in activating the LAC in future. However, China being the non-follower of rule-based order has spiked transgressions at the LAC since 2019 which has resulted in continued activation of the LAC. On 5 May, China went ahead with its transgression, which led to the Ladakh standoff. Therefore, needless to mention that India needs to be wary of the Winter [that] is Coming!

Manjari Singh is Associate Fellow at Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), New Delhi