Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The Dangerous Dragon


We always keep talking about our western neighbors as a threat to our security. The terrorist activities going on across the border are a major concern for us. Series of bomb blasts across major cities have resulted in us being focused to defeat these forces. Interesting to note however that the larger threat is coming from China. The reason I feel it is so because of the fact that the communist country poses a larger threat to India’s progress. There is no reason to equate the terrorism threat from Pakistan with it but still I mentioned it to highlight this existing perception which exists among many people in our country. There are people who view this threat as more of a challenge posed by China which we should take boldly and move forward to achieve our targets. I call it a threat because the movement on their side does not indicate that they don’t have anything against us.

China’s long standing understanding with our arch rivals clearly indicate that she wants to keep us engaged defending our borders against extremists. It has continuously given military aid and has never come out in support of India. During the recent nuclear deal, china wanted to veto against us getting nuclear fuel from nuclear suppliers group. That was a clear indication of how desperate they were to stop us taking this big step. Arunachal Pradesh has always been a disputed region between the countries. China is continuously building its border infrastructure near to these areas. Why would they spend so much money on a region which does not contribute anything to their economic power? It’s been a quiet affair and the Indian establishment has at last started to react to it. In a recent development the Indian air force decided to set up a new base in the north east. It also plans to improve upon the existing ones. The BRO is speeding up the process to improve the road conditions near to the Chinese border. A few high profile ex defense personals have come out and talked about China openly. All these have resulted in a barrage of attacks on us from the Chinese media. It is often believed that the Chinese government often speaks its mind through these national mouthpieces. These media reports virtually threaten India with dire consequences if it tries to take on the mighty dragon. It showcases the superior economic power, the gap existing between the two countries etc.

So the point I am trying to make here is we face a multi pronged challenge from China. Industry, growth, infrastructure and most importantly defense. Pakistan will continue to be an enigma for us but it is China which poses a sustained long term threat.

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