By Prashant Dikshit
Chinese behaviour is acquiring sinister variations. Whilst, the regime of Xi Jinping has come forward to offer you healthcare help in the existing well being calamity engulfing India, media outlets, mouth pieces of the Communist Party of China (CPC) are spewing ridicule at Indian efforts at combating the calamity. Chinese nationals presently in India are getting persuaded to record videos of ailing patients in anguish and send them to these media homes.
Well recognized China watchers from India have identified a number of such dying scenes on the streets getting shown in nevertheless images. The linked commentaries are not sympathetic at all but as an alternative are bordering on showering apathy and ridicule on leaders. Is this what the world really should anticipate from China, a claimant to getting an ancient civilization. Or, as soon as once again thoughts games are getting played once again as a precursor of factors to come.
What is certainly astonishing is the total silence on element of the WHO in leaving the investigation of the function of Chinese regime in managing and most importantly reporting the pandemic in a limbo. The actions of the Chinese Media homes stem from the failure of the WHO in arriving at conclusions.
Concurrently, one notices strategic manoeuvring by the Chinese Strategic apparatus for deriving tactical added benefits from governments in South Asia as they are getting ravaged by COVID-19. A delegation led by the Chinese Defense minister visited each Bangladesh and Sri Lanka a handful of days ago. Long-time Chinese investments in Bangladesh are loans which basically focus on the strategic energy and road sectors. At the heart of the matter would be the continuum to the Chinese Road and Belt projects linking ports in Myanmar with the ports in Bangladesh.
We would recall that it was only two years ago Xi Jinping inked 33 memoranda with the Aung Su Chi government in Rangoon and the piece-de-resistance of this strategic stop by by Xi Jinping was to sign 90 years management contract for deepening the port facilities at Kyaukphew at the northern most coast of Myanmar. These loans had been most willingly presented by China regardless of the explicitly counter Rohingiya attitudes of the Aung Su Chi regime. And now that this regime has been toppled by the military junta who stay on the identical web page with the Chinese.
It is apparent that a communication network has been conceived linking Mandalay and Akyab port with Kyaukphew and at some point joining up with harbours at Chittagong and Cox’s Bazaar, the inlets into the Bay of Bengal. The elements of properly-established inland waterway navigation systems more than rivers , specially the Meghna River which leads in to Chittagong Harbour would have been recognized by Chinese Strategic planners.
Let us now examine the Island County of Sri Lanka smack into the Bay of Bengal whose ports of Colombo and Humbantota have been on the Chinese radar for a really extended period now. Humbantota sitting on the Southern tip of Sri Lanka has currently been possessed by the Chinese whose loans had been seemingly employed for the improvement of the Airport and the Sea Port. The former, a dream of the existing Rajpaksha regime and constructed throughout its earlier tenure has emerged as a white elephant.
For the port at Humbantota, the earlier regime unable to payoff the loans had to lease it to a Chinese Company for ninety years. Although the Indian Government , sensing a strategic threat had prevailed more than the Sri Lankan government to sign a treaty which forbid the use of this port for foreign militaries. But a respectful honour of this agreement would often stay in significant doubt as it is extensively reported that the Rajpaksha family has received kickbacks for award of the Airport and Sea Port contracts to Chinese proxies. And what is even alarming are the plans of Rajapaksha government for handing more than Colombo Sea Port to the Chinese lock stock and barrel and for which a bill is getting brought into the Sri Lankan Parliament any time now. There are wide spread protests but the regime is most likely to run roughshod more than them.
The belief that the Chinese may well be hastening measures to gear up for the most likely energizing of the QUAD group consisting of the USA, Japan, Australia and India would just be partly most likely. On that angle there may well be anxieties with the PLA Navy that securing a foothold more than ports in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka would be helpful at an early stage. But each Myanmar and Bangladesh will not acquiesce really effortlessly and engage in discussions, and not like to be pushed as their nations battle Covid 19. The Bangladesh External Affairs Minister has currently rebuked the Chinese Minister for his warning tone on this topic.
The larger tasks for the PLA Navy would be to guard their personal Sea Lanes of communication in the in the seas of the yonder in the South China Sea exactly where significant swathes of sea have been claimed by them. That nonetheless does not deter them as far as they accomplished a modicum of acquisitions in Sri Lanka.
The time is now ripe for the Indian State to invigorate its personal campaign of hunting east. With Bangladesh, the diplomatic relations are ripened in the 50th Anniversary Year of the Founding of Bangladesh and seal on which was placed by the stop by of Indian Prime Minister. It has been followed up with significant consignment of Indian made vaccines and for a related acquisition from China, Bangladesh had to dole out massive sums. To Myanmar also vaccines have been made out there at no expense to them. Above all, India’s studied silence on the unseating of Aung Su Chi government will have its personal added benefits
(The author is a strategic affairs commentator. Views expressed are private and do not reflect the official position or policy of TheSpuzz Online. He can be reached at: [email protected])