Jaipur Literary Festival , 20 January 2023
By Harsimran kaur
A heated discussion on China is always welcome as its unruly power has always been a recherché. Who better than Manoj Joshi, an expert on China’s border obfuscation, Vijay Gokhale, former Foreign Secretary of India and Shyam Saran, author of the book, ‘How China sees India and the World’ to analyze the trends and pattern of China as a sledge hammer to knock the world down… Below are a few excerpts from the discussion happened at the Jaipur Literature Festival, 2023.
Shyam Saran:
China has a certain story to tell to seek historical legitimacy to exude power. China always sees itself as No.1 and by revealing history of its empire, cultural and political and economic domination, all they want to do is empower. They forget that half of their history, they were under alien rule. To seek legitimacy through re-writing of history, it should not harp back but try to make a mark as per the present.
Manoj Joshi:
LAC that we talk about is China’s invention to shove down Ladakh border down India’s throat. So, there is LAC that India believes in and one that China believes in. Nothing is marked in the map. LAC is illusive and China is using it because of their good logistics to keep India out of balance.
Vijay Gokhale:
There is a dire need for an Indian perspective of China. After 2012, policies of 1990 and 2000 have outlined their utility. China feels it is a magnanimous power. So, there has been a shift in their policy. They have become more aggressive on external front and conservative on domestic front.
Shyam Saran:
We have issues because India has been doing a better job at the border—transportation, deploying forces and a formidable military infrastructure. All this paraphernalia, allows our military to live in these areas with a lot of comfort.
China is gradually getting nervous of India’s increasing presence. India to engage China in discussions is a good policy. Having this kind of conversation and engagement is the right strategy.
Vijay Gokhale:
The Doklam conflict and the Galwan conflict are unforgettable. They both are not comparable. Doklam is a part of Bhutan and India is in cognizance of it whereas China boasts of it being its territory. It’s imperative for India to hold its guard till China accepts it.
We should understand that India’s problem is in the heights of Himalayas. China is occupying that. China is a terrain advantage as Tibetan plateau if flat. This helps them to establish more villages.