Indian politicians use China threat to win votes:Chinese daily
Beijing: Indian politicians were using China threat as "trick" to avoid domestic problems, win votes and to obtain advanced weaponry from Western countries, a Chinese state-run newspaper claimed on Monday. "Within India, the so-called China threat is a trick by Indian political figures to fool their people and Western countries," said an article in the web edition of the Global Times, which is controlled by the ruling Communist Party.
Highlighting the recent "tent confrontations" between the Indian and Chinese armies in the Ladakh region, the article said, "By making waves about China, Indian politicians can avoid domestic problems, bolster up national morale, and raise votes. And on the international level, India can obtain advanced weaponry and technologies from Western countries."
"Currently, Indian policymakers have a relatively clear judgment on Sino-Indian relations and Indian-US ones. India doesn't have the ability to directly confront China yet, and as a country prioritising economic development, India is in need of a peaceful neighboring environment," it said. The article appeared on a day when China announced the dates of Premier Li Keqiang's maiden visit to India from May 19 to 21. About the recent "tent confrontation" in Ladkah area where Chinese troops set up tens, it said: "from an Indian perception, the Chinese army has invaded Indian territory, and this time is the most serious invasion in the past 25 years".
"Some Indian media outlets claim China has invaded Indian territory 600 times in the past three years," it said. The Sino-Indian border issue is very complicated, and even resulted in war in 1962. That conflict became the excuse for India to bolster the military and develop nuclear weapons. The root reason for so many "incursions" is that the two sides have not reached a consensus on the Line of Actual Control, let alone a formal border, it said. However, since 1993, China and India have signed two agreements and one protocol on the maintenance of peace and tranquillity. These efforts have helped ensure durable peace and stability in the region.
"There is a very small possibility that China and India will fall into serious conflict," it said. Nevertheless, bilateral relations between China and India are very delicate. As well as the boundary problem, China- Pakistan relations, the Dalai Lama issue, and tension over water resources also hinder the promotion of China-India ties. These problems mean India has a deep-seated distrust of China, the article said. With the US "rebalancing" toward the Asia-Pacific, the Sino-Indian relationship is seeing subtle changes these days, it said.
So far, India has strengthened its "Look East" policy. It has enhanced strategic and security cooperation with countries such as Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam, and has taken a high-profile in the South China Sea disputes, it said. In December 2011, the first trilateral dialogue between the US, Japan and India was presided over by the US, and one of the topics discussed was China's growing military and political global position. It's no wonder many think that India may abandon strategic autonomy in order to ally with the US and contain China, it added.
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