Confronting China is necessary for India

by N S Venkataraman

India has been at the receiving end in its relationship with China during the last seven decades. Looking back at Indo-China relationship, it would become clear that China, all the time, viewed India as a weak country.

In the 1950s, the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru went out of the way to placate China and he did his level best to keep China in good humour. In spite of being a historian himself, Nehru could not anticipate the aggressive behaviour of China. He thought that China would be an all-weather friend of India.

In the year 1962, when China launched a war against India, Nehru realised his folly and said that China has stabbed India in the back. An unprepared Indian defence crumbled against China’s aggression and till today, China occupies thousands of acres of Indian territory in the Ladakh region that is gained due to the one-sided war.

Even after several years, it was clear that India has not learnt any lesson, as Prime Minister Vajpayee signed a treaty with China accepting the division of Tibet into four parts and merging three with neighbouring Chinese states.

In spite of several provocations of China like claiming Indian state Arunachal Pradesh as its own and so many other anti-India postures, it appears Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been hoping against hope that he can win China’s friendship. Modi visited China several times and received the Chinese President Xi Jinping in India two times, extending a very warm and fabulous welcome to him. Modi probably thought that he could please Xi Jinping with such gestures and can get constructive cooperation from China. 

Certainly, in the coming days, China would play hot and cold with India, as it appears that Prime Minister Modi would not confront China beyond a level. 

The question remains now as to whether Modi would pay back China in the same coin after his bitter recent experience or he would go back to the old policy for the sake of maintaining peaceful relations with this aggressive China, that has no ethical values in its approach to the issues while dealing with other countries.

At present, PM Modi appears to be maintaining care and caution while dealing with China. Confronting China is necessary for India as the present Chinese government continues to remain in power as a ruthless and self-centred entity. Or else, the dragon would have the last laugh.