India and Vietnam have signed an agreement under which both the countries will jointly explore oil in the South China Sea. India has a vast and credible experience in this field of oil exploration. As per the International Law the two sovereign states are legally competent to sign the said agreement and no third party need feel irritated. However, the People’s Republic of China has felt annoyed for no rhyme or reason. China feels that the South China Sea is like its inland sea and that it controls everything in the natural resource rich sea there. How wrong China is.
The South China Sea bears the name China but that does not mean that the sea is an inland lake of China or that Chinaowns it. If that be the case, India will claim sovereign rights over the Indian Ocean just because the ocean bears the name Indian. Let it be clearly understood that no country has any claim or right over the high seas. As per the International Law the sovereignty of a peripheral country extends up to the territorial waters which means 12 nautical miles beyond the sea shore.
Of late there has been a diplomatic row over the issue between India and China. At the Asia Summit Meet in Bali Wen Jiabao, Prime Minister of China told the Indian Prime Minister to keep off the South China Sea. The notoriously meek Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India looked straight into the eyes of Wen Jiabao that India has to take care of its commercial interests and oil exploration in the South China Sea is just that. The war of words had just begun. The China Daily mistakenly castigated India and one of its articles said that the Indian people were not prepared to face a deteriorating situation between the two neighbours. Not only that, China undiplomatically advised India to cancel the International Buddhist Conference in New Delhi where Dalai Lama, China’s bête noir, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address. India declined to do so as it would amount to interference in the religious activity by its people. India would not do that as it is a secular democratic republic. China is a totalitarian state and does not understand the language of a Democracy.
The diplomatic confrontation has just begun. Consequently the next round of the border talks between the two countries scheduled to begin this Monday(28 Nov 2011) stand postponed. India hopes that the talks would be rescheduled and held when the current hot atmosphere cools down a little.
CHINA IS AGGRESSIVE
Indeed the actions and omissions of China show that she is now more aggressive than before in peace time. The whole world knows that China is rich and that its military prowess is acknowledged by USA and Europe. Nonetheless China must realise that India is no pygmy. The situation has improved in India too. India of 2011 is not the same as India of 1962. It, however, does not mean that the two neighbouring giants allow the situation to worsen and reach a point of no-return. China must realise that she is on the verge of becoming a global power and as such she has to shoulder additional responsibilities of ensuring that there is Peace and Tranquility in her neighbourhood and also in the rest of the world.
SECURITY TO PROSPERITY
China has had a sustained growth for quite a few years, thanks to the Open Door Policy of its late leader Deng Xiaoping and that boosted the economy. But all regions of China have not harvested the bumper crop of economic growth. The stark reality is that the North-West China as well as the interior regions like Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang are still mired in poverty. Consequently there is social unrest and hatred for the rich among the poor is to be seen to be believed. No nation can aspire to be a world power if a sizeable section of its population lives from hand to mouth. Vast parts of China comprise rural areas that have agriculture based economy and it impedes industrial growth.
If China is involved into a limited zonal conflict, it would hurt the economic growth of China too. The same bitter outcome would await India too if it opts for a shooting war. Thus it would be in the interest of both China and India to pursue their respective goals of economic growth, cut corruption that is rampant in both countries and strive for achieving a high standard of health and happiness of the common man. There is no denying the fact that the economic growth of China has slowed down. There are not as many high cranes at the construction sites as there used to be a year ago. Building work has slowed down, migrant workers are returning to rural China in droves and that is an ominous sign of impending social unrest.
The Islamist leadership of Xinjiang, trained in Pakistan, is promoting terror and ethnic violence. The riots in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, between the Han migrants and pro-Turkish Muslim separatists caused drafting of a large police force from neighbouring provinces recently. China is required to pay attention to its internal security rather than to an armed confrontation with India.
With a view to having a lasting peace in the region, the Chinese leadership has to change its mindset. It must stop schemes to destabilise India in collaboration with Pakistan. Therefore, it is imperative that China does not train, arm or financially support armed rebels of the North-East India or open a new factory to manufacture AK 47 rifles on the borders of India-Myanmar or pump anti-India literature to incite anti-India feelings. It has come to the notice of the Indian intelligence agencies that the game plan to unite Babbar Khalsa International, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Maoists, Bodos, Manipur PLA and others was hatched in China and supported by Pakistan. Paresh Barua, an Assam separatist, has taken refuge in Yunnan, China and has been directing his cadres in Assam from across the border. Is this the way to friendship? Obviously not.
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