London: It Started in mid-June when India opposed China’s border road project in Doklam plateau which lies in a tri-junction between china, Indian state of Sikkim and Kingdom of Bhutan. It has been over a month now. And the stand-off between world’s largest and third largest army has jolted the Asian peninsula.
India’s direct involvement in Doklam region at the request of Bhutan has shocked China’s communist stronghold, Beijing. Some are still in disbelief that India can take such a sturdy action against the country which is about to take leadership of the world.
China wants India to withdraw unconditionally from Doklam region and let China and Bhutan Sort out their border issue. In other words it wants freedom to dictate terms to tiny kingdom of Bhutan which at this moment seems very far-fetched.
China’s communist mouth piece news agencies are threatening India almost in a daily basis. Reminding India of 1962 wars. They are digging out old reports , images of the war . But understandably they are quite less noisy as if almost silent when it comes to 1967 Nathu La and cho la clashes.
China’s Global Times new agency has been in the forefront of India bashing. They have accused India of violating Bhutanese sovereignty , man handling Chinese soldiers, then stopping Chinese workers from building a road near the disputed region. It has even warned India of severe consequences if it continues to support Bhutan.
India supports Bhutanese claim over the territory. Even though Bangladesh favors India and will allow India to pass through military equipment’s in case there is a war between two Asian giants. But India is quite skeptical about china’s border road extension projects that if the road is complete, this will give China a quicker and greater access to its merely 20 km long Chicken-neck. A region which connects India’s 7 other eastern states with mainland India.
New Delhi doesn’t believe that China is completely bluffing as they warned USA through India during Korean war and then attacked them. It warned India in 1962 and then attacked. But that doesn’t mean China is preparing for war.
China and India both agreed that tri-junction boundaries with Myanmar and Bhutan would be decided after consultation in 2012. Until then the status quo will remain as usual.
India says China has violated the status quo by building roads in the region. India only went in the region after Bhutan requested for help.
China believes India has violated the international law by trespassing in the region. Even though it continues to carry on with project after projects in disputed Pak Occupied Kashmir. A region on paper is still Indian and claimed by India.
Even though the situation is very tricky but no party is going back out as their reputation is at stake. War is very much unlikely to break out. No one is interested in armed conflict.
Experts believe even though China has larger army and huge amount of equipment’s . But very much unlikely it can win an all out war with India. Specially when India has dug deep in Doklam with extra reinforcements adding up each day and will remain defensive which means attacking ratio for the Chinese has to be 8:1. And also its Chinese election year.
So whatever happens all out war is not really an option for the Chinese. Chinese news papers may continue to fire salvos after salvo at India but one must know they are nothing but blanks. Even though border skirmishes can not be fully ruled out.
Nonetheless Doklam stand-off is clearly sending a wrong signal to rest of the world and will surely affect china’s future trade policies specially with ASEAN countries.
