Tackling the Dragon

It has been more than a year since the tensions between India and China escalated on the Line of Actual Control last year but still the process on disengagement between the countries is going on and People Liberation Army is still present at some areas of the Line of Actual Control which are the Depsang Plain areas and Hot Springs area. Although the Chinese army has disengaged from some friction area of LAC which includes Galwan Valley, both the banks of the Pangong Tso lake and Gogra post, but the Chinese army has still maintained a large number of troops and a good number of weapons including tanks, air defence systems etc. Another major concern for India is the infrastructure which the Chinese army has made and still constructing at their side of LAC which will help them in logistics support if tensions escalate in future months.

The China has been very aggressive since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic not only just with India but with other smaller countries also like Taiwan. Recently China has made incursions into the airspace of Taiwan. It is among the first countries who recognized the Taliban government in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the Afghanistan on august 15. It is very evident that China is a threat for the regional peace. Now what can India do as the largest country in its neighbourhood and an important stakeholder in the regional affairs?

There are many aspects to it while countering the Dragon which includes military aspects, economic aspects, narrative building, increasing soft power and many more. Before we move on, first we need to analyse why China is so audacious in whatever actions it take at the global level. It is the economy of China on which it is so confident, it is so because it very well knows that it is the manufacturing hub of the world and a leading exporter in many goods and services. This is the weak point of china on which India and other countries should target. Although hitting China economically will take time and it is a long term goal but it is the only effective way to counter the Chinese aggression. If we see in the recent past when the tensions between India and China escalated, India moved its military to LAC but also banned many Chinese apps and curtailed the trade with it, seeing this China said multiple times that border issues should be looked separately and economic relations should not hamper. Also when the bidding was done for the 5G trials, India didn’t invite Huawei which also was a reply to the China. Also it is evident that Chinese promote terrorism through Pakistan and fund Pakistan for terror activities in India. So targeting China will help in two fronts from China as well as Pakistan.

Taking the military aspect into account, we can say that China has now a large number of military equipment and technology in all its three services which it uses as a deterrent for other countries. But the thing is that many experts have said that it does not much experience. If we see the history of China then it doesn’t have good combat experience in its past, the last time China was involved in any major conflict was with Vietnam in 1979 and after that it has fought any major war. In 1967 also, India repelled back the Chinese attempts. So the military aspect is not a very big threat as China also knows it can’t win in a direct military conflict and therefore it engages indirectly. China only spreads narratives of its military superiorities and claim to be a military power.

In today’s time, the methods of warfare have changed from conventional to non-conventional. In that non-conventional methods, India should focus on narrative building against China by highlighting its weak points to the world. Like recently our PM wished Dalai Lama on his birthday on which the Chinese reacted and got uncomfortable. It shows how China gets irritated when speaking on matters of its concern. Therefore India should raise its voice on matters which makes the Chinese uncomfortable like Taiwan Issue, human rights violation of Uighur muslims, taking a stand for Tibetan people and giving them representation on international platforms and many more.

Another aspect is Cyber warfare which is the most important aspects in the recent and coming future; and also a significant threat in data driven times of now and coming future. India should start investing and promoting in its cyber strength to counter China. China has done many Cyber attacks in the recent past which includes the Mumbai Blackout cyber in March 2021, cyber attacks on US Gas pipelines and cyber attacks on Israel. In this aspect, Indian should take the assistance of the leading global powers in this field of Cyber security like is known for its cyber capabilities.

There are many more ways in which we can counter the Chinese and tackle the upcoming challenges whether global or regional but ultimately the government has to decide its action plan and its strategy, this the time for the government to leave its defensive and reactionary approach handle our adversaries proactively and offensively.