The death of 20 Indian soldiers, including a colonel, in a violent face-off with the People’s Liberation Army on the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh on Monday night puts the Modi Government under tremendous pressure. Quite aside from the Indian public, the armed forces would feel demoralised unless the unprovoked atrocity is not avenged. And soon. Prime Minister Modi himself would feel the pressure, having created an impression of a strong leader, an invincible leader who brooks no slight to India’s honour. His Unique Selling Point would be eroded if he reflected in this hour of his greatest challenge in the last six years any sign of weakness. The perfidious Chinese, who had agreed to clear out of the Indian side of the Galwan Valley at the commanders-level talks, instead chose to attack a small party of Indian soldiers checking on whether the illegal occupation had been vacated. Reportedly, there were casualties on the Chinese side as well. According to the US intelligence sources quoted in a section of the American media more than 40 PLA men died, including their commanding officer. As a rule, the Chinese do not disclose their casualties. The escalation is bad news for India at a time when it is in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and the economy has taken a sharp downturn. But the Monday-Tuesday night violent confrontation at the LAC may have altered the priorities of the government. Even as the fight against the virus goes on unabated, it must find ways to inflict costs on China for its unprovoked attack on our soldiers. After its violation of the un-demarcated LAC to occupy areas on the Indian side in early May, its reneging on the agreement to withdraw from the Galwan Valley was a clear violation of trust. No self-respecting nation can accept the Chinese aggression lying down. India may not match China economically and militarily, but it is no pushover. Besides, in any warfare, courage, righteousness of the cause and global public opinion favours the victim of aggression.
Unless China is ready to make amends for its unacceptable behaviour, and restore the status quo ante, the war clouds will hover over the Sino-Indian sky. Xi Jinping may have his own reasons to project power to his many rivals in the Politburo, whom he has riled further by self-anointing as president-for-life, but he cannot be allowed to menace the world. From Australia to Europe to the Americas everyone is a victim of Chinese arrogance. Whether Xi wants to warn India against cozying up to the US, or it joining the Quad of the US, Australia and Japan, or to warn against India stopping growing Chinese investments is irrelevant. As a sovereign nation, India has absolute freedom to conduct its affairs to best serve its own interests. To begin with, the huge imbalance in trade with China needs to be tackled. Ordinary Indians can help by boycotting cheap but popular electronic devices. Several unicorns among start-ups will soon begin to feel the heat once India weaponises trade with China. Solidarity with nations feeling intimidated by China can be another tool. The point is that if there is one country in Asia which can stand up to the intimidation and bullying of China it is India. And it is for Modi to show that India is not to be trifled with. The place and timing of the Indian response on the 3,450-km disputed border can be left to the military planners, but come it must. Unless before it, China is makes amends. Which we doubt very much.
Meanwhile, in the WHO, where India is the chair this year, and in the UN, where it is set to be elected a non-permanent member of the Security Council, and in all other global forums India’s voice must be heard clearly and loudly. The global community is at the receiving end of the Chinese arrogance, be it the arm-twisting of smaller nations in the South China Sea, or using money to buy influence in Africa and Latina America, or on forcing a security-suspect 5-G technology on Europe, the case against China for being treated as a pariah is pretty strong. Given the inter-linked trade relations, it may take time to disengage fully from China but that process ought to get a major fillip once it is recognised that China is a rotten apple in the global community, a threat to peace and order. Meanwhile, the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seems barely to conceal the vicarious pleasure of seeing Modi in a corner. Being unmindful of the larger national interest is bad politics. The current ruling party while in the opposition aggressively questioned the border security policy of previous governments but without people ever suspecting its strong sense of nationalism. The current Opposition needs to reassure the people on this score.
