The
latest military drill conducted by China in Tibet was probably a reminder to
India that the subtext of the military situation in Doklam remains a potent
point of confrontation
By Col R Hariharan | Opinion on news | Courtesy: India
Legal, July 8, 2018 http://www.indialegallive.com/viewpoint/india-china-yin-yang-tibet-51396
China’s
People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted a military drill in Southwest Tibet on
June 25 to test civilian-military integration and logistic support in high
altitudes. Beyond the military dimensions of the exercise, it has connotations
on India-China relations and on President Xi Jinping’s process of
consolidating his power through civil-military integration. In terms of
India-China binary, the exercise comes in the wake of Wuhan summit in April
when PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping had agreed to build a
future relationship based “upon mutual respect for each other’s developmental
aspirations and prudent management of differences with mutual sensitivity”.
But the
tabloid Global Times’ report on the military drill did not reflect
the Wuhan spirit. It referred to China’s victory in the 1962 war against India.
It quoted Song Zhongping, a military expert, to say that in the 1962 conflict,
“China failed to protect its fruits of victory due to poor logistics support”
because the biggest challenge of battle at the high altitude was to provide
sustainable logistics and armament support. The twin problems of long logistic
lines and operating in high altitude continue to play in their minds of PLA as
they affected the Chinese troops in their 72-day long confrontation with Indian
army last year at Doklam on the India-Bhutan-China trijunction.
In the
midst of the Doklam confrontation in August 2017, PLA conducted live fire
exercises at an altitude of 5,000 metres in Tibet which was given wide
publicity in Chinese media. The aim of the exercise was “to test its strike
capability on plateaus” and improve combat capability.
A
combat brigade of PLA Tibet Regional Command conducted exercises in rapid
deployment, multi-unit joint strike and anti-aircraft defence, according to a
PLA press release. The CCTV also broadcasted the military drill to reassure the
public about the combat readiness of its troops. The South China
Morning Post, quoting a Beijing based military commander Zhou Chenming,
said, “The PLA wanted to demonstrate it could easily overpower its Indian
counterparts.” The newspaper said the Chinese force that took part in the drill
was stationed in the Lizhi region of eastern Tibet, close to Doklam. The
Chinese troops also featured a new light tank with “strong firepower, advanced
armour and good mobility” suited for deployment on Tibetan plateau.
The
latest exercise in Tibet is probably to remind India that the subtext of the
military situation in Doklam remains as a potent point of confrontation. On the
other hand, a Twitter clip showing Chinese and Indian troops celebrating the
International Yoga Day together on June 21, 2018, is symbolic of the efforts of
the leaders of both countries to get out of the frostiness that crept in their
relations post Doklam.
The yin
and yang of India-China relations post Doklam standoff was evident at a recent
seminar titled “Beyond Wuhan: How far and fast can China-India relations go”
organised jointly by the Chinese embassy at New Delhi. Chinese ambassador to
New Delhi Luo Zhaohui in the keynote address said (cautioned?), “We cannot
stand another Doklam; we need to control, manage, narrow differences through
expanding cooperation. The boundary question was left over by history. We need
to find a mutually acceptable solution through special representatives.”
The
ambassador said in a loaded statement “security cooperation is one of the
pillars of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation). Some Indian friends
suggested that China, India and Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral
cooperation under the SCO. So, if China, Russia and Mongolia can have a
trilateral summit, then why not India, China and Pakistan?” Though the ambassador
did not mention Kashmir issue or Chinese mediation, it triggered speculation
about China trying to find a mediatory role in India-Pakistan disputes.
The
latest military drill in Tibet also has an internal dimension. It is in keeping
with the decision of the President Xi-led Communist Party of China Central
Committee in January 2017 to establish a new agency to integrate the country’s
military and civilian setups.
Zhang
Wenlong, the head of command logistics, commenting on the latest military
drill, said it was aimed to explore a new mode of military-civil integration in
the plateau following the reshuffle of the military system. During the drill, a
local petroleum company supplied fuel immediately to an armored unit while the
city government of Lhasa delivered food to soldiers after a day of mock battle.
The exercise is only a part of the PLA conducting drills at home and abroad in
keeping with the injunctions of President Xi. These drills involve PLA’s ground
forces, navy, air force, rocket force and armed police.
However,
the Doklam experience seems to have left an indelible imprint on the Chinese
military mind. According to PLA Daily, China’s most advanced
aircraft including J-20 stealth fighters, Y-20 transport aircraft, J-10C
fighters are practising beyond-visual range air combat at unspecified airports
on a “plateau region”—an obvious reference to the Tibetan plateau bordering
India. Obviously, China is getting ready to ensure no more “Doklam” takes
place.
Territorial
disputes continue to be a major, recurring irritant in India-China relations,
though both of them have their own baggage of other allergic issues. China’s
allergies include the status of Taiwan, the Dalai Lama and Tibet’s autonomy and
its human rights standards. Issues such as the Kashmir imbroglio,
India-Pakistan relations and Pakistan sponsored terrorist threat are a few issues
that touch India’s raw nerve.
At the
Wuhan summit, leaders of the “two major countries” in Asia spelled out their
common perspective—domestically, regionally and globally. They said “both sides
have the maturity and wisdom to handle the differences through peaceful
discussion and by respecting each other’s concerns and aspirations”. To
go beyond the lofty aspirational level, both countries have lot of ground to
cover. One thing is clear: both nations are cautiously moving forward, hoping
to overcome their differences through small steps. As Lao Tzu said, “A journey
of a thousand miles starts with one small step.”
The
writer is a military intelligence specialist on South Asia
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