Monday, May 25, 2009

China bigger threat than Pakistan: India

Chairman Mao has termed Tibet as the palm of a hand with its five fingers as Ladakh, Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan, and North East Frontier Agency. He claimed that these were Chinese territories that needed to be 'liberated'. Tibet was 'liberated' by force while New Delhi slept.

Recently, In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN, Chinese Ambassador Sun Yuxi reiterated Chinas claim on Arunachal Pradesh. He said

“In our position the whole of what you call the state of Arunachal Pradesh is Chinese territory and Tawang (district) is only one place in it and we are claiming all of that-that's our position,”

Last Month, China even blocked a £2 billion in ADB aid to India because it includes £40 million for a water project in Arunachal Pradesh. The best India could do was complain to US and no marks for guessing where Obama would put his eggs

Inspite of overwhelming evidence, India's policy towards China can be best defined as Ostrich Approach - head in the sand. While Indians were bending backwards to force their friendship in the last 58 years, China is busy extending its influence in Asia through economic and military power, unprecedented development of logistic infrastructure and demographic invasion.

Finally, Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major has reconfirmed what NDA Defence Minister George Fernandes said almost a decade back.

A decade back, when George Fernandes raised same concern, the entire secular cohort rose in unison to condemn George Fernandes. Chairman of AICC foreign affairs department K Natwar Singh that his observations on China were ``irresponsible and unfortunate''. As expected, CPM reacted strongly to Fernandes' statement and Party politburo member Sitaram Yechury dismissed Fernandes' claim as “pure jingoism''. In fact, years later CPM  went one step ahead and tried to block Indo-US strategic alliance to protect China’s interest. Karat at that time said

''We shall not rest in our fight till the strategic ties with the US is snapped out. US was trying to make India its strategic ally in countering China, which is "the most powerful socialist country capable of challenging the might of the USA".

Some time back Naval Chief, Admiral Sureesh Mehta also talked about “Chinese designs on the Indian Ocean,” Mehta said China had a strategy called `String of Pearls,’ as per which it seeks to set up bases and outposts across the globe, strategically located along its energy lines, to monitor and safeguard energy flows.

Each pearl in the string is a link in a chain of the Chinese maritime presence. Among other locations, the string moves Northwards up to Gwadar deep sea port on Pakistan’s Makran coast. A highway is under construction joining Gwadar with Karachi and there are plans to connect the port with the Karakoram Highway, thus providing China a gateway to Arabian Sea,”  “Other “pearls” that China has been developing are naval facilities in Bangladesh, where it is developing a container-port facility at Chittagong; in Myanmar, where it is building radar, refit and refuel facilities at bases in Sittwe, Coco, Hianggyi, Khaukphyu, Mergui and Zadetkyi Kyun; and in Thailand and Cambodia.”

Gwadar port is part of a Chinese strategy as it is of no value to Pakistan because Pakistan already has two commercial ports of Karachi and Port Qasim. 

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