Nancy Pelosi calls Xi ‘just a scared bully’ but China’s neighbours know better

India

oi-Jagdish N Singh

India
would
do
well
to
remain
cautious
of
China’s
moves.
To
checkmate
any
sinister
Chinese
designs,
New
Delhi
could
focus
on
all
those
nations
in
the
region,
with
which
Beijing
has
had
a
history
of
arguments.

Downplaying
the
Beijing
backlash
that
followed
her
recent
trip
to
Taiwan,
United
States
House
of
representatives
Speaker
Nancy
Pelosi
has
said
it
is
because
Chinese
President
Xi
Jinping
is
‘acting
like
a
scared
bully’.
Is
it
as
simple
as
this?
Should
China’s
neighbouring
nations,
which
have
been
witness
to
its
growing
aggression,
ignore
the
bully,
relax
and
go
about
their
day-to-day
business?

Observers
say
China’s
neighbour
Taiwan
may
ignore
the
bully.
It
has
had
a
hidden
defence
shield
from
the
United
States
and
Japan
to
protect
itself
against
any
possible
Chinese
aggression.
But
India,
a
neighbour
which
has
faced
a
constant
Chinese
aggression,
cannot
afford
to
take
Xi
lightly.

India
is
a
truly
independent
country.
It
has
a
policy
of
strategic
autonomy.
India
has
thus
to
defend
itself
on
its
own.
Xi’s
approach
to
world
politics
has
been
very
dangerous
to
peace.
Last
year,
in
a
speech
marking
the
50th
anniversary
of
Beijing’s
return
to
the
United
Nations,
he
claimed
to
be
a
‘builder
of
world
peace’ and
‘protector
of
international
order’.
Xi
declared
“China
resolutely
opposes
all
forms
of
hegemony
and
power
politics,
unilateralism
and
protectionism.”

China
imposes
sanctions
on
US
House
Speaker
Nancy
Pelosi

In
reality,
however,
China,
under
Xi’s
leadership,
has
proceeded
with
its
policy
to
establish
its
hegemonism
in
the
region.
It
has
been
more
and
more
assertive
in
staking
its
claims
to
the
Indian
territory
in
the
Himalayan
region.
Beijing
continues
to
back
Islamabad
against
New
Delhi
on
the
Kashmir
issue.

On
August
5
this
month,
on
the
third
anniversary
of
India’s
decision
to
revoke
the
special
status
of
Jammu
and
Kashmir,
Chinese
Foreign
Ministry
spokesperson
Hua
Chunying
called
on
India
(and
Pakistan)
to
“peacefully”
resolve
their
differences
in
Kashmir.

China
has
long
been
modernising
its
defence
forces
and
expanding
its
nuclear
arsenal.
China’s
arsenal
could
grow
to
1,000
warheads
by
2030
from
about
350
now.
China
is
moving
fast
towards
closing
its
military
gap
with
the
US.
Once
it
achieves
its
goal
in
the
matter,
it
might
embark
on
invading
India.

India
would
do
well
to
remain
cautious
of
China’s
moves.
To
checkmate
any
sinister
Chinese
designs,
New
Delhi
could
focus
on
coordinating
more
effectively
with
all
those
nations
in
the
region,
with
which
Beijing
has
had
a
history
of
arguments.
China
has
been
in
dispute
with
some
Southeast
Asian
nations
in
the
South
China
Sea
and
with
Japan
in
the
East
China
Sea.

China
using
my
Taiwan
visit
as
‘an
excuse’
for
military
drills:
Nancy
Pelosi

More
importantly,
New
Delhi
must
make
appropriate
investment
in
its
own
conventional
and
nuclear
modernisation.
India
would
do
well
to
review
its
minimum
nuclear
deterrence
posture.
In
the
wake
of
the
nuclear
tests
of
1998,
India
announced
a
doctrine
of
no-first-use
of
nuclear
weapons.
India
must
have
an
effective
nuclear
deterrent
vis-
a-
vis
China.

(Jagdish
N.
Singh
is
a
senior
journalist
based
in
New
Delhi.
He
is
also
Senior
Distinguished
Fellow
at
the
Gatestone
Institute,
New
York)

Disclaimer:
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opinions
expressed
in
this
article
are
the
personal
opinions
of
the
author.
The
facts
and
opinions
appearing
in
the
article
do
not
reflect
the
views
of
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