Remember 1962 defeat: Chinese media warns India again amid Sikkim standoff

China has accused Indian troops of transgressing into its territory; stand-off started on June 16

Today’s Paper : While we don’t know what the Chinese soldiers are up to at the Sikkim border, Chinese state media has found a new, actually old, stick to beat India with — the 1962 Sino-Indian war.

Paraphrasing pieces and editorials run by the People’s Daily, Xinhua, and Global Times, the message to India is clear: Remember your defeat in 1962 and accept China’s position in the current stand-off at the Sikkim border.

The latest attempt to browbeat India through ‘editorial warfare’ saw the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, post a picture of a Chinese editorial, titled ‘If this can be tolerated, what cannot?’, from September 22, 1962 — just short of a month before the 1962 war started.

We couldn’t access a direct English translation of the editorial. However, the essence of the editorial was that the “Chinese people would not tolerate the provocation by the Indian Army”, according to a People’s Daily Online article titled ‘People’s Daily to India: Borderline is bottom line’. Back then, the editorial had warned of serious consequences for India if the conflict lingered. Further, it had accused Indian troops of encroaching on Beijing’s territory.

“The Indian military’s trespass into Chinese territory is a blatant infringement on China’s sovereignty, which should be immediately and unconditionally rectified,” it said, noting that ever since Indian soldiers “crossed into Chinese territory” and “obstructed work on a road” in the Dokalam area in June, China has lodged a series of protests demanding India pull back its troops immediately.

“India should rectify its mistakes and show sincerity to avoid an even more serious situation creating more significant consequences,” the piece said. |readmore…

Sikkim stand-off: India must compel China to vacate the Doklam plateau

India needs its own strategy of ‘active defence’ in the Indian ocean to counter the Chinese threat

Today’s Paper : Recent events on the Doklam plateau near the tri-junction of India, Bhutan, and China have resulted in plenty of discussion among Indian analysts. The better among these have pointed out Doklam’s limited tactical value to China and the latter’s clear contravention of prior agreements to preserve the territorial status quo with Bhutan. Why then have PLA troops and their political masters risked a potential conflict on such weak grounds? As Ajai Shukla notes, “Beijing’s wish to extend the Chumbi Valley southwards is incomprehensible.” Understanding how this episode fits with China’s rise and broader strategy in Asia can shed light on this question, as well as on the most effective Indian response.

Limited data in the public domain show that the number of Chinese troop incursions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India has been increasing, from 228 in 2010 to 411 in 2013 (and 334 by August 2014). Major episodes in the last four years include incursions in Ladakh at Depsang, Burtse, Chumar, and Pangong Lake. This pattern fits with China’s increased assertiveness in Asia since the late 2000s. The Doklam puzzle is tied to the larger question of why Beijing has abandoned its “peaceful rise” approach and adopted a strategy that is likely to alienate neighbors and invite balancing coalitions such as the growing India-Japan partnership.

It is tempting to attribute Chinese assertiveness to non-intentional factors such as rising nationalism, the ruling party’s internal politics, or rogue elements in the military. A more accurate explanation, however, lies in Beijing’s considered response to an altered external environment. In the late 2000s, with the US economy in crisis, Washington’s emerging pivot to Asia, and maritime disputes surfacing with Vietnam and the Philippines, Chinese elites began to question the continued wisdom of Deng Xiaoping’s injunction of hiding capacities and biding time. The ensuing debate, according to Chinese public intellectual Yan Xuetong, led to a shift in China’s strategy from “keeping a low profile” to “striving for achievement,” famously outlined in a speech by Xi Jinping in October 2013. | READMORE

 

 

Sikkim issue: India has to pay for border provocations, says China daily

India has expressed deep concern over China constructing a road in the disputed Doka La area

Today’s Paper : India has to pay for its provocations, says a Global Times editorial referring to the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Doka La region at the Sikkim border. The Global Times is an English-language Chinese newspaper under the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party.

Accusing India of harbouring ambitions of regional “hegemony”, the editorial calls upon the Chinese state to “lead the international community in restoring Bhutan’s diplomatic and defence sovereignty”.

Further, its prescription for chastising India is that Beijing should “reconsider its stance over the Sikkim issue“. While China had recognised Sikkim as a part of India before, the editorial goes as far as calling upon Chinese society to support Sikkim’s “independence”.

The editorial was published on the same day that China, upping the ante on the Sikkim standoff, accused India of “trampling” on the Panchsheel principles and asked New Delhi to “correct its mistakes” as soon as possible by pulling back troops.

India, for its part, has expressed deep concern over China constructing a road in the disputed Doka La area near Sikkim and has conveyed to Beijing that such an action would represent a significant change of status quo with “serious” security implications for India. | read more…