The recent moves made by China has changed the global politics altogether. Let's have a look at the Chinese aggression in the last few months:
1) Encroaching India's land in Galwan Valley, Ladakh
2) Shooting down Vietnamese vessel in South China Sea
3) Claiming the Japan's Senkaku Island
4) Unanimously passing the National Security Law in Hong Kong thus abolishing one country two systems
5) Establishing naval base in Kiribati which is at arm's length from US West Coast and a direct threat to Australia
Not to forget Covid-19, China's gift to the world!
Opening multiple war fronts simultaneously with India, Vietnam, Japan, US, Australia and supressing Hong Kong forcibly indicates only one thing. It is either China's way or highway! They feel they are well equipped to fight simultaneously and claim to be the new super power.
Being a permanent member of UN's Security Council, with Veto powers in hand, SC will be just a mere spectator.
Solution?
India and China is just on the threshold of a war which can start at any moment. Let us see what should be India's policies to tackle the Chinese aggression permanently.
India and China cannot be compared directly. China being a Communist state has the full liberty to exercise their strategy without any hindrances from the government and their citizens. No one can oppose the government or question the government in China, giving them the liberty and the speed for action. The President has the full authority to dictate as can be seen from the recent law passed in the assembly, wherein Xi Jingping has successfully passed the law that till the time he is alive, he will remain the President of PRC (People's Republic of China). India being a democratic country doesn't allow such swift decision making and needs to take into account the frictions from various oppositions and religious sentiments of its citizens.
But if USSR can break so can China. One needs to understand that in a communist state, the people don't have any say and have to obey what the government says. In turn, government looks after the people. If we can attack the economy of China, automatic unrest and revolt will rise amongst the Chinese people and create chaos as a nation.
To attack the economy we need to strangle China's trade route, as doing so will keep a rein on these Chinese and stop them from being the new land mafia of the world.
A few things that India can do or should have done to strangle China are:
1) Construct an international road from North East to Vietnam.This will have multiple benefits:
a) India will have direct access to the vicinity of Hainan naval base; it is the most important naval base of China. India can directly attack Hainan base from Vietnam, if required.
b) All the cheap plastic items that we import from China can be now imported from Vietnam. They manufacture the same goods at the same rate.
c) Connect Singapore to India via Vietnam NE corridor. A hell lot of business can be done. Mallaca Strait is on the tip of Singapore and a lot of goods can be transported by road.
d) The under-developed North East India will also develop with the international road passing through it.
2) India should collaborate with all the smaller islands which fall on the trade route in the Indian Ocean. Eg, The Cocos island in Indian ocean; India still doesn't have a military base there. That island belongs to Australia, so India can easily build a base.
3) Try to remove the Chinese naval base from Hambantota, Sri Lanka and construct India's base as the current government in Sri Lanka is pro-India.
4) India should take the advantage of the instability in Yemen and build a base in Socotra Island with the help of US. This is a very important and strategic location:
a) The Djibouti Chinese base will be strangled.
b) India can protect other countries' ships from Somalian pirates and create new allies.
c) Keep a watch at Gulf of Oman where 80% of Chinese ships ply.
d) Keep a close watch at Gwadar Port Karachi from where the CPEC corridor starts.
e) Treaty with US to use Socotra and Diego Gracia islands (Under US authority) interchangeably at time of war. All US flights that attacked Iraq flew from Diego Gracia in the Indian Ocean.
5) CPEC goes through Balochistan. India is happy with the current unrest and violence in Balochistan. If Balochistan separates, CPEC anyway will be flop. India should help the Balochi army in their fight against injustice and torture from Pakistan.
6) Daulat Beg Oldi airbase in Ladakh, the current bone of contention, is very strategic to strangle China. India has landed C7 Globmaster at Daulat Beg Oldiaribase recently. Now C7 can't land everywhere, landing of C7 confirms it is a military airbase and India can directly bomb Karakoram highway from there and hence China is worried.
7) Make proper use of Taiwan. Start acknowledging the Republic of China-Taiwan as a sovereign nation. Now Taiwan, like China, is a hub of hardware producing companies. Stop importing hardware from China and start importing it from Taiwan at the same cheap price.
8) Build close ties with Vietnam, Japan, Philippines and Australia as the enemy's enemy is your friend.
9) Japan is very important. If there is a fight between Japan and China, USA is bound to enter as USA has signed a treaty with Japan that an attack on the sovereignty of Japan will be taken as an attack on USA and hence it will come to fight.
Senkaku Island in East China Sea is exactly what India can benefit from. Japan and China will fight for it, as both of them claim it is their island. India can initiate a few explorations in Senkaku Island after taking permission from Japan, indirectly recognizing Japan's sovereignty over Senkaku Island.
10) Fight for a permanent membership in UN's Security Council. Once India has veto power, it cannot be attacked anymore. China will never allow India to become a permanent member, but India can blackmail China through MTCR (The Missile Technology Control Regime), as India is a permanent member of MTCR and China is not and wants to be a part of it.
All these things India can easily do it with democracy as the form of government and irrespective of the political party in power.
The above steps will strangle China and will make them think through before making advances again, threatening the sovereignty of India. The moment China realizes that India can strangle them by locking their trade routes, they will be bound to behave amicably. Else it would cause threat to its economy and lead to a national unrest.
(The author is Bangaluru based and holds a B.E. in C.S. and MBA from BITS Pilani. He keeps special interest in spirituality, geopolitics and international relations. The views expressed in the article are his own and G Plus may not subscribe to the same)
