The China question
Two sensible answers. Counter China with open-minded caution. Look at China as an opportunity.
It is for good reason that K. S. Bajpai has been a huge favourite of the INI bloggers. Although his pieces appear rather infrequently in the media, Bajpai’s perceptive analysis and clarity of thought always shines through. So it came as a pleasant surprise to note that Sardar Patel’s famous letter to Nehru on China in November 1950 was conceived by his father, Girja Shankar Bajpai, former secretary-general in the ministry of external affairs.
Patel’s letter listed 10 precautions, including military and intelligence appreciations, reappraising military preparedness, constructing and policing boundary posts, political and administrative measures and internal security. Nehru, normally politely prompt in correspondence, didn’t answer Patel: recognising Bajpai’s views, he walked into his office and laughed—“So you are marshalling the big guns behind you”. Indirectly, though, Nehru responded with his China assessment in his November 17 letter to chief ministers. As in his other ruminations, one can detect signs of firmness and realism amongst idealistic hopes and historical imagination. But little except administrative consolidation was done regarding the main purpose of the November 7 letter. Instead, while insisting we stood by our frontiers, we went ahead with reducing the army: 52,000 less in 1950, another 1,00,000 less planned for 1951.
Some 60 years later, we are still seen as caught between the down-to-earth toughness attributed to Patel and the softness associated with Nehru. The realistic approach, so simple and obvious that it hardly needs formulation, needs projection: you must be seen as ready and able to look after your interests purposefully and efficiently. That is where our ways of functioning are our own worst enemies.[Outlook]
Bajpai’s brilliant piece on China is, in a sense, complimented by Shekhar Gupta’s column in the Indian Express. Two examples of good, sensible stuff being articulated on India’s approach towards China. Is South Block listening?
Years in service never made one look at China with such distrustfulness as has the last few months. Nark Desh was the enemy of the Swarag Desh with the Chandal only appearing ocassionally on the horizon as a friend of nark people.
The annual rendition of ‘Aankh mein bhar lo pani’ and a few superb movies in black and white made the history of 1962 appear as a surreal bloodless dream. And that was all.
Then came the 9/11 aftermath. The pakis were ordered/ bought off to look westwards. Meanwhile our nation had grown economically to a point when the ‘hyphenation’ with Pakistan did not become us anymore (Just as a noveau-rich from a muffasil town would feel about his relatives).
The South Block is listening, my friend, but our media thinks that we immediately require a ‘new-best-enemy’.
One hopes if and when the ”Sarajevo’ incident occurs – It will be one which the history will read as really significant.
Since China is the flavour of the season, so one read ” China-Fragile Superpower by Susan Shirk (Oxford University Press-2007)
Japan and India, as major Asian powers, believe that China intends to
keep them in a second-class status and reclaim the number one position for
itself, and that a rising China represents a threat to their national security.
Although China has more historical grievances against Japan than it does
against India, India is even more mistrustful of China than Japan is. Japan
has been a U.S. ally for sixty years while India is just now getting over its
Cold War animosity against the United States. Despite these differences, as
Bismarck would have predicted, both countries now are strengthening relations with the United States as a counterweight to the Chinese threat, which creates a new set of foreign policy problems for Beijing.
Dalai Lama, the honoured guest, could have himself opted out if he cared.