India and Imperial China

oct 29th, 2006

next, the chinese dictator will come to india, insult the country (just as its ambassador and consul-general talk down to india frequently as though they were imperial regents), and manmohan singh et al will lap it all up with ingratiating and pained smiles on their faces.

a spine, a spine, a kingdom for a spine!

and china will rub in the 'india-pakistan equal-equal' mantra they have always propagated, by adding a gratuitous visit to pakistan.

a good response by india would be the following: the next time the indian grand pooh-bah of the day visits china, they should add a visit to a) taiwan, b) japan to the schedule, to indicate:

a) 'china-taiwan equal-equal'
b) we visit you, our enemy, but we will reassure our friend, japan, that whatever we do is not going to affect our ties with japan

any foreigner who makes a trip to india should be forbidden from adding a trip to pakistan alongside. if india insists even once and says 'buzz off! we don't need you that badly! if you want access to our market, you better listen to what we have to say!' they will never do it again. eg. this will work just fine with american presidents.

by not asserting ourselves, we are allowing india's individuality to be submerged in this vague 'south asia' thing which does nothing for india's branding or soft power.

brahma, as always, is direct and clear. i am enjoying reading his new book 'asian juggernaut'.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ram Narayanan

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1831691,00120001.htm

HINDUSTAN TIMES.COM

Imperial China

Brahma Chellaney

October 29, 2006

In keeping with Indian hospitality, Chinese President Hu Jintao will be received warmly when he visits India in three weeks after attending an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meet in Hanoi. The world's leading autocrat, currently tightening his hold at home by purging non-loyalists through an anti-corruption drive, might even get to address the Parliament of the world's largest democracy, whose winter session is being especially brought forward. 

Hu's India visit, however, will be largely symbolic, high on banal expressions of friendly intent but low on enduring substance. Any accord signed will be no different than the ornamental agreement that marked the April 2005 visit of Premier Wen Jiabao. That vaunted agreement identifying six abstract 'guiding principles' for a settlement of frontier disputes has actually taken the border talks backwards. Despite 25 years of continuous negotiation, India and China remain the only neighbours in the world not separated even by a mutually-defined line of control.

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