India鈥檚 calculated move away from truth
Print Edition
Since Indian troops鈥 illegal entry into the Doklam area, which belongs to China and has remained under Chinese rule, China has lodged serious protests against this act of intrusion.
In the face of repeated warnings and protests from China, India has dug in its heels, refusing to withdraw troops from the Chinese territory and stop obstructing Chinese road-building endeavors.
In fact, China notified India of its road construction efforts twice, in May and June. India did not respond until mid-June, at which point it sent border troops across the boundary to interfere with legitimate Chinese action.
Moreover, India has challenged China鈥檚 claims to the Doklam area on the grounds that a sovereign nation does not have to inform others of what it prepares to do on 鈥渋ts home soil.鈥
鈥淭his is a blatant and groundless accusation,鈥 said Zhao Gancheng, renowned India scholar and researcher with Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.
That China notified India in advance is in perfect accord with the common diplomatic protocol of mutual understanding and transparency. It also corresponds to the basic spirit of past China-India diplomatic exchanges and communication, said Zhao.
Considering that road construction did occur in areas adjacent to Indian territory, it is precisely out of consideration for Sino-Indian relations that China informed India of its decision, said Zhao.
In his view, India鈥檚 response, inspired by a distorted view of China鈥檚 bona fides, is not a reckless act of adventurism, but a calculated move.
It has been made clear in many Chinese statements that the China-India boundary in the Sikkim Sector has been delimited by the 1890 Convention Between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet, and is recognized by successive Indian governments.
This is evidenced by a panoply of declarations, official statements from both sides and by letters penned by ex-Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and addressed to former Chinese premier, Zhou Enlai, in which Nehru acknowledged China鈥檚 sovereignty in the Doklam area.
According to Zhao, these documents and diplomatic notes constitute the legal basis of China鈥檚 claims and India鈥檚 recent provocation was a violation of China鈥檚 sovereign rights.
He went on to counter India鈥檚 claims that Chinese road-building efforts changed the status-quo.
India has justified its actions under the pretext of 鈥減rotecting鈥 Bhutan, but the question is, even if China and Bhutan do have a border dispute, how does that justify India鈥檚 meddlesome behavior?
From China鈥檚 perspective, the way India treated Bhutan, a sovereign country, and the haste in which it acted in Bhutan鈥檚 鈥渂est interests,鈥 are legally untenable, said Zhao. What鈥檚 more, the frequency and clarity of tough-worded Chinese warnings against India seems to contrast with the relative ambiguity of India鈥檚 stance on the Doklam spat.
In Zhao鈥檚 opinion, India chose to lie low in an attempt to court world support for it as the 鈥渨eaker and peace-loving party.鈥 The truth may be more nuanced, though. A clear message that ran through public remarks by India鈥檚 foreign minister, defense minister and chief of staff, following the Doklam crisis, is that 鈥淚ndia prepares for peace but is war-ready.鈥
In light of Indian press coverage of recent military deployments to the Doklam area, Zhao explained that India is 鈥渉aving two strings to one鈥檚 bow.鈥
He thus suggested China draw international attention to India鈥檚 huge mistake in violating Chinese sovereignty. More needs to be done in diplomatic terms to confront India on its transgressions.
The only way out of the dangerous stalemate, as Zhao sees it, is for India to immediately and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Chinese soil. Only after that can both sides proceed to resolve their dispute in the spirit of mutual trust, cooperation and candor, Zhao said.
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