India Needs To Re-Evaluate Its Policy Towards China And Other Neighbours

India needs to re-evaluate its policy towards China and other neighbours

- Mandira Nayar

In the summer of 2015, Narendra Modi—on his first visit to China after he became prime minister—deviated from his script while addressing students of Tsinghua University to make a grand gesture offering e-visa to Chinese tourists. The gift was not on the list of 24 agreements, and security agencies had warned against it. It even caught Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi by surprise, and he urged students to cheer once again for Modi to thank him for the gift.

Five summers on, after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with the Chinese at Galwan Valley, Modi’s closing remarks at the all-party meeting offered China another advantage, claims the opposition. “No one has intruded and nor is anyone intruding, nor has any post been captured by someone,” he said, contradicting the official position of the Army and the ministry of external affairs. The statement, said former prime minister Manmohan Singh, allows the Chinese “to use his words as a vindication of their position”.

The Prime Minister’s Office rushed to clarify Modi’s statement a day later, claiming that his observation of “no Chinese presence on our side of the LAC pertained to the situation as a consequence of the bravery of our armed forces”. However, the confusion has only helped bolster the Chinese confidence and their claims.

“This has been an absolutely shocking coup of sorts by China,” says Alka Acharya, professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. “They are unlikely to retreat from the territory they now occupy. It is a crucial part of the overall strategic advantage for China in that area. It remains to be seen what kind of a spin will be given to make it more palatable for India.”