Dragon has tied its own tail around its neck!
China’s $900bn road project to weave a new trading world is nothing but the dragon’s expansionist move to redefine borders, debt-trap weak and failing nations into its dominance and strategically weapon-line borders with India to keep the lion in cage.
China plans to build the road through the Doka La (Donglang), a narrow but strategically important tri-junction of India (Sikkim), China (Tibet) and Bhutan. It will run till Tibet and then it will pass through the Pak-occupied Kashmir, the Indian territory, and link up to the Arabian sea. In the east and south, it has a marine route through the Indian ocean from Bangladesh till Sri Lanka. It will course up the India marine borders and link up to dominate the Arabian sea.
What it means?
Dragon wants to trap India from all sides. From Bangladesh to Sri Lanka through the marine route and from the sensitive Bhutan, Sikkim, Tibet and PoK through blacktop road. But, what makes China’s intent clearer is that it has strategically planned the routes through undefined borders with India and its disputed territory with Pakistan. It is called Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan. Technically speaking, once these roads have been built, India will be caged from all sides. This will also affect its road pacts with Afghanistan and adjoining areas. However, India is not a weak nation. It knows China’s geopolitical ambitions and has already made strategical deployments to disrupt the road and its users wherever it is necessary. India is not going to back out now and that is what angers China. According to experts, what China is unable to foresee is the big risk of building a road— The one who controls the road will have the last word. China doesn’t underestimate India’s military surprises and hence it has restrained itself from engaging in a Pakistan-like battle since 1967. China wants India to remember the 1962 defeat. Which, war veterans and analysts blame on former Indian prime minister Nehru’s wrong decision and ignoring Sardar Patel’s warning in 1957 of China’s evil plans. However, Nehru ignored them and India was taken by surprise in 1962. According to defence experts, Indian troops were stranded in the tough mountainous terrain in the absence of reinforcement, recharge, supplies of food and arms and “endless wait for orders from an indecisive and inexperienced strategic leadership formed by Nehru’s sycophants then”. However, there are recounts that despite this, the Chinese army had almost given up against the Indian army. But, when they came to know about demoralisation among the Indian troops, they mounted the final attack and won.
China also knows what happened in 1967 around the Nathu La and Cho La passes in Sikkim. These are mountain passes in the Himalayas. They connect the Indian state of Sikkim with China's Tibet Autonomous Region and are strategic on all counts. Any weak-kneed presence here will mean Chinese stronghold and its unopposed access to the Indian territory, which may make India vulnerable. That is the reason why India doesn’t allow any concrete buildup here from China. In 1967, the Indian army had decimated the Chinese and there are accounts that Gorkha regiment braves had slain a large number of Chinese army men with their khukris (specially angled knives) after they ran out of ammunition. China had no option but to retreat and call for ceasefire then.
Nehruvian bias
Unfortunately, the Congress’ Nehruvian bias for Kashmir and its “inaction” for 70 years has given Pakistan enough room within Kashmir to have its way. Pakistan is the main reason of terrorism in J&K. Terrorists are calling for Islamic rule here now. The Pak-occupied Kashmir is already witnessing a revolt of sorts against Pakistan for allowing China to build a road through it besides atrocities by the state in order to suppress them. Balouchis too are being suppressed by Pak army to neutralise their resistance as far as the road is concerned. Pakistan is an economically weak state, which gets monetary support from America. However, it knows that the USA may stop the aid after Modi-Trump handshake. Therefore, it has openly shifted towards China, in the hope of getting the financial support from it. This is what dragon has been wanting since long. Pakistan doesn’t realise one simple fact that China will now dominate it and make it part of its expansionist strategy. India has diplomatically isolated Pakistan and China to some extent. But, now is the time for action. India has one clear option before it that is to weed out Pak terror links in J&K, slaves of China and Pakistan within the country and neutralise all political anti-nationals growing thereon. India should also make strategic deployment along the borders with China with an aim to demolishing latter’s access points and installations within five minutes if a battle breaks out. Here the air support in the strikes will be necessary along with the Navy vessels guarding the sea and serving as take-off points for the fighter planes from this direction. According to a strategist, India is strongly placed along the border and the drill is to surprise, paralyse and decimate the enemy. Can’t be disclosed further. The only sentence that can define it is—Dragon will be brought down in 25 minutes in the region.
According another expert, India should launch phase 2 of its Op Clean-up in J&K and begin to dominate the PoK through surgical strikes on Pakistan army and terror camps simultaneously in the region. Once the PoK is under India’s command, India can disrupt the Chinese road to power! Without the road, China cannot send its troops in and any misadventure through the sky will be shot down immediately.
India-China dynamics
India should not let China weave a silk noose around it. Dare, disrupt and decimate the dragon should be the war cry now. China fears India’s growing dominance in the region. It knows that India is the biggest consumer market and a fast-growing economic power in the world. But, on the contrary, Chinese economy is down the slope. If India blocks all legal and illegal trade channels weaving into its land, it can deal a big blow to China, which is fast losing ground around the world on account of bad-quality products. It is facing the side-effects of mass production, an example all growing nations must learn from. Sustaining a full-fledged war with India will be a big drain on it. Therefore, it will choose small-scale territorial battles with India, which we have mastered to perfection. According to experts, China will face a multiple-break-down syndrome within six months to one year, as the delay in its road project will only weaken it. Already resistance from various countries to its road project has started getting intense. It is time for India to put its foot down and assert its territorial dominance.
Road a risk for China
We all think that China is aiming to become the world power by building the trade road across the world with the cooperation of 70-odd countries. There are many other things which are planned along the road— gaslines, rail lines etc, power lines etc. However, what is the guarantee of the safety of the road, especially when ISIS and other Islamic forces are hell bent upon realising their Caliphat dream? If the nations from which this road passes deploy their security forces then who will bear that cost? Will China bear it all? No. China has made it look a cooperative project and hence the burden will be that of the country in the spot. Will it not mean additional burden on that country then? In the absence of a proper monitoring of this trade route, the situation will just remain the same. Even disgruntled groups will try to take control of the road. Because, then this road alone will be the target of attack of various terrorist organisations and local disgruntled groups. China will be able to handle two or three such invasions. Finally, the trade route will become the new war zone and instead of prospering the member nations, it will become a future trouble for them. China will wait for this moment and then intervene and try to capture the entire route itself. The control of which will mean the rule of China across the world. But, it will be full of challenges from different nations. Here comes the risk for China. The road will be captured by various groups and nations with their respective armies in order to defy China. To combat the situation, China would like to make military zones along the road. The idea which will again prove to be counter-productive. Considering all the chances, China has risked its very existence in the project. I hope China will have no option in the end then giving the control of the road to the country’s army and that would mean increase in goods’ prices as each country will demand its maintenance cut from the freight charges. Experts say dragon has tied its neck around its own tail.
Vivek Sharma