Events & Issues
New Delhi, 9 November 2009
Nagging Boundary Issue
LOOK AT HISTORY, BE OBJECTIVE
By P K Nigam
Tension
in relations between China
and India
over the unresolved boundary question, have been hitting the headlines. However,
some of the reports have not been based on truth. The statements of
retiring/working Service Chiefs such as incursions had taken place and that
coping with China
will be a challenge ahead, have created alarm amongst people. It’s a different
matter that the Government tried to underplay the events and browbeat the media
from “overplaying” the events. Importantly, the question is: Has the right of
free speech and expression no limits? Can it be used to plant false stories to
destroy good relations between India
and a friendly nation?
Both
China and India are the biggest nations in terms of
population in not only Asia, but also the
world. Both are old civilizations, which
fell behind Europe in 18th century
and missed Industrial Revolution, resulting in occupation of their lands by
European nations. In the 20th
century, both woke up and succeeded in forcing foreign powers to withdraw from
most of their lands. Both are trying to modernize and remove poverty. Both have
advanced and become nuclear, industrial and economic powers. Yet both have a
long way to go to come at par with advanced nations. It is in their interest,
as well as the interest of Asia and the world,
they live peacefully, and resolve their differences amicably. If they cannot, the
story of Asia will become similar to Europe, where France
and Germany
fought each other to the benefit of others.
Who
will benefit, if China and India became
enemies? Obviously, the US.
Since India became
independent, it has been America’s
policy to encourage bad relations between India
and China.
Its ambition of world hegemony requires it to follow the policy of divide and
dominate – China against India in Asia, Western Europe against Eastern
Europe in the case of Europe. Hence the
suspicion needle points to show that reports in India are US inspired.
An
example will illustrate the American tactics and geo-politics. After Pakistan killed 3 million people and drove away another
10 million out of East Pakistan to take shelter in India
in eight months in 1971, it bombed India on December 3, 1971. Next day
the Indian army marched in E Pakistan. After
only four days of war, Army commander in Dhaka, General Farman Ali, got
permission from dictator Yahya Khan to ask India
for a ceasefire, as the Pakistan
army could not fight any more. But both the US
and China asked Islamabad to continue as they
intended to help. On December 10, Washington asked
Beijing to attack India,
with the intention that China
and Pakistan on one side and
the Soviet Union and India
on the other would kill each other while it enjoyed as onlooker. But the Chinese were too clever to fall into
the trap. They told the US
that the Americans spoke in two voices -- in one they said they would help Pakistan and in
another they said they were even-handed. Hence China
did not attack India
and made only the verbal noises. But the US
sent the 7th Fleet to prevent Indian attack on West
Pakistan, and saved it.
Some
have suggested that foreign arms manufacturers created the present alarm for
their benefit by using their past contacts with the retired/serving military
brass. Compared to the big problems facing both China
and India,
the boundary question is a minor one. The two should not spoil their relations
over it.
China has advanced in production of nuclear weapons and
missiles more than India.
This gives a wrong impression to many in New Delhi
that Beijing is far ahead of India in
technology. However, India is ahead of China in some fields of technology.
Even in nuclear field, it is ahead of China in production of nuclear power
plants. India made its first
indigenous nuclear power plant in 1981 and had its first explosion in 1974,
whereas China
made its in 1992 and had the first test in 1964.
In
the ‘50s China got help in
technology from the Soviet Union. After that it
got isolated in the world and could not get international help and fell behind India, which
was in contact with all foreign countries. It was only in the ‘90s that Russia gave modern military planes and tanks to China. Even now, China
like India has not been able
to produce world-class fighters, whereas the IAF has been purchasing modern
fighters from Russia
and West.
Air
Chief Marshall P.V. Naik said this September, that China
has three times fighter planes than India. This alarmed people
unnecessarily. Out of 3,000 fighters in PLAAF, 2200 are obsolete made by China on Soviet Union’s
50s models. Among modern planes, it has 150 Soviet-made Su27 and 100 Su30. The
rest are Chinese-made improved models of old fighters. Moreover, China cannot station all of them in Tibet against
us, as it has other long borders to defend. We should not forget that China attacked Vietnam in 1979 to teach a lesson
in true Middle Kingdom tradition. In the event, Vietnam
proved to be a bad pupil and gave China as good as it got. Vietnam was a
small, weak, backward country after terrible bombing by US till 1975. If little
Vietnam is not scared of China, why
should Indians?
David
Shambaugh, an American expert on China’s
military strength has written that China
was concerned after India’s
nuclear test in 1998. One Chinese newspaper, Jaifengjun Bao wrote on the composition of order of battle of the Indian
forces. It showed how much more advanced these were than the PLA in virtually
all categories of conventional forces. It further wrote, “through 50 years of
efforts, India
now boasts of a mighty army.”
One
reason why many in India
are alarmed is the memory of 1962. But things have transformed since. 2009 is
not the same. Both India and
China
have changed and so also the world power balance. We have to be cautious, but
not alarmed. An objective assessment of Forces on the Tibetan border has to be
made based on good intelligence, so that we will not come out second best in
any border skirmish. If more Forces are required on the border, we can easily
afford the expenditure now without damage to our economic growth.
One
possible reason of recent statements on China
by India’s
military brass can be to put pressure on the Government to increase our
military strength, as required in their judgment. This is a wrong method. It is
the duty and responsibility of the military to give advice and their judgment
to Government i.e. defence department. Statements are harmful in as much as
they create panic in public mind. What is needed to assure the public is -- yes
we can – in Obama’s words.--INFA
(The writer is author of “Reflections on the History
of World in 20th Century”.)
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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