Rethink china it’s time to realise beijing is the new imperialist power in asia

Rethink china it’s time to realise beijing is the new imperialist power in asia

The clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan valley, that led to the killing of 20 jawans, should finally force New Delhi to acknowledge the realities of Beijing’s ambitions in the region. For far too long, India has given China the benefit of the doubt and overlooked its aggressive behaviour, whether it was against Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan or itself. The political wisdom in New Delhi – spanning both Congress and BJP governments – has been to co-opt Beijing by shelving problematic issues, overlooking China’s consistent blocking of India at international fora and evident backing of Pakistan against India, and pursuing cooperation to create bilateral synergy. This in turn was guided by the old anti-imperialist mindset, that saw India and China as victims of colonialism and therefore destined to partner up in an Asian century, based on their huge populations and ancient civilisations.

The problem with such romanticism is that China never saw it that way. “Chindia” was always a construct, or illusion, of the Indian political and intellectual elite – Beijing never subscribed to any of it. While China single-mindedly pursued economic growth and welcomed foreign investments, India continued to labour under its colonial hangover and remained suspicious of cooperation with the West for many decades. Today, it’s China that’s proving itself to be the expansionist power in Asia by pursuing extravagant territorial claims and demanding subservience from all its neighbours. Besides, today’s Party dominated China has little to do with classical China, which looked inwards rather than outwards. The Chinese Communist Party is the new East India Company.

China doesn’t want an Asian century. It wants, specifically, a Chinese century where Beijing will be the top gun. Instead of harbouring illusions, India should increase its own national power, enhance military and economic cooperation with the US and other Western democracies, and resolve issues with neighbours such as Nepal and Bangladesh.

The recent war of words between BJP and Congress has seen the former accuse the latter of undermining national security by questioning the government on the Chinese intrusions. But after having itself leveraged national security for electoral purposes, BJP is on shaky ground here. Besides, in a democracy it’s the job of the opposition to keep the government on its toes. And clarity on the Chinese intrusions is important to formulate the appropriate responses. It’s time for some hard-nosed strategic thinking.