{"id":35203,"date":"2018-10-31T15:46:17","date_gmt":"2018-10-31T10:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=35203"},"modified":"2018-10-31T15:46:17","modified_gmt":"2018-10-31T10:16:17","slug":"the-picture-after-doklam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/the-picture-after-doklam\/","title":{"rendered":"The picture after Doklam:\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/opinion\/columns\/the-picture-after-doklam-standoff-india-china-japan-standoff-army-4839150\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The picture after Doklam<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Context<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The standoff between India and China in Doklam has been a learning experience for India.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why Doklam episode is so distinct in nature?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was the first time that India deployed troops \u2014 even in the hundreds \u2014 on the Chinese border after a third party asked for help.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Second, while such stand-offs have multiplied recently, it was by far the longest one \u2014 about 10 weeks \u2014 suggesting that there was much at stake on both sides and that the mechanisms of border dispute resolution were not as effective as they used to be, or not even relevant in such a case. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Third, India can claim that it has forced China to withdraw by showing determination-cum-restraint, a mix that has impressed other South Asian countries which are under Chinese pressure and may turn to India for preserving their sovereignty.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Why Doklam is grave an issue for India than Bhutan?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bhutan asked India for help despite the fact that Doklam was not as strategic for Thimphu as for New Delhi, whose leaders worried about the security of the \u201cchicken neck\u201d, a vulnerable set of plains and valleys that a part of Bhutan (including the Doklam plateau) overlooks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, Bhutan has paired up with India, but how long will it continue to side with India, is a concern for the Indian government.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">China will take any measure to influence Bhutan that Chinese tourists are already visiting in large numbers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> With regard to security, India can provide with a credible military force, but its contribution towards the economic development of the Himalayan kingdom is not enough. India will have to deliver and deliver effectively to retain Bhutanese trust.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Bhutan is about to have its elections in 2018. Some observers have already emphasised that Bhutan should not alienate China and take the risk of breaking the dialogue between the two countries.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Both countries have no diplomatic relations but they have talked since 1984 and have even signed the Agreement on the Maintenance of Border and Tranquillity in 1998.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They were supposed to meet before August for the 25th round of talks regarding the border dispute but the Chinese have postponed this round of negotiation with no appointed date to resume talks.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>China being a continuous threat to India. How?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Bhutan\u2019s attitude is important, the Chinese strategy is key<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beijing has explained that Doklam, which the Chinese call Donglang has been part of China since ancient times.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And China will stand rigid with this claim.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In late August, the PLA troops withdrew mostly because China was hosting the BRICS summit in early September and feared an Indian boycott<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A boycott form India in the Xiamen meet would have badly affected China\u2019s international image which it could not afford prior to the meet of the Communist Party of China.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But China will definitely stage a comeback with its claim.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Xiamen meet, China no doubt designated Pakistan based Islamist groups \u2013 LeT, the Haqqani network, the TTP and Jaish-e-Mohammed as \u201cterrorist\u201d outfits, but China may continue to veto a similar move targeting the Jaish leader, Masood Azhar, in the UN<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In any case, China will not let down Pakistan while the CPEC is gaining momentum as one of the major components of Xi\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>With these dynamics, what is India\u2019s position in the world politics?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is already getting closer to the US.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This strategy can raise problems for the country, not only because of current US Administration\u2019s erratic and protectionist behavior but also is isolationist in nature, because such a rapprochement will further distance India from China and even Russia.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first collateral casualty of these developments seems to be the BRICS grouping itself<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s scepticism vis-\u00e0-vis BRICS is reinforced by the way Russia tries to use the organisation against the West and keeps \u201cacquiescing to Chinese leadership<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides the US, India is also turning to Japan<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently Asia-Africa Growth Corridor was launched, a project Indian and Japan have conceived together.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This partnership could be the cornerstone of a larger coalition that may include other countries eager to resist China\u2019s \u201cstring of pearls\u201d in the Asia-Pacific region.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What are the challenges India will face in resisting China?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first major problem India may face in its attempt to resist China is economic: China is not only the first trade partner of India but a large investor too: Chinese entrepreneurs are among those who are more than happy to \u201cMake in India\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Secondly, India cannot mobilize as many resources as China to make inroads in third countries. For example &#8211; Sri Lanka is a case in point: China could acquire 70 per cent of the Hambantota deep sea port in July, in addition to many other strategic locations, including Gwadar, because of a financial strike force India cannot compete with.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The picture after Doklam:\u00a0 Context The standoff between India and China in Doklam has been a learning experience for India. Why Doklam episode is so distinct in nature? It was the first time that India deployed troops \u2014 even in the hundreds \u2014 on the Chinese border after a third party asked for help. Second,&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/the-picture-after-doklam\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The picture after Doklam:\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-test-1","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1704336510},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35203\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}