India really can't help but boast that it has just said that it wants to "compete fairly" with China, and its attitude is to make a 180-degree turn. The United States finally relented, India's purchase of armed drones was settled, and the next second it was building on the Sino-Indian border, without hiding the "ghost idea" in its heart. However, India should not forget that China has also been prepared at the border.
[American MQ-9 "Reaper" drone]
In recent years, India and the United States have "harbored their own evil intentions", and the two sides have become closer and closer. India not only wants American investment, technology, etc., but also constantly buys weapons from the United States.
A few days ago, the US State Department approved an arms sale to India, and the next step is to see whether the US Congress will approve it. The sale, which includes 31 MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones and companion missiles, as well as surveillance and communications equipment, is worth almost $4 billion.
At the same time, the Indian side has also announced that it will continue to increase investment in the construction of transportation along the Sino-Indian border, and more roads will be repaired.
According to the data, India spent a full 30 per cent more than budgeted this fiscal year, and next year's budget is 65 billion rupees (about 5.63 billion yuan) higher than this year's budget.
The reason for India is also very direct, which is to deal with Sino-Indian tensions.
It is worth mentioning that some time ago, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said that although China's influence is strong and growing, there is no need for India to be afraid of China, and India will definitely be able to do better than China in the context of global competition. In this way, India intends to have a "level playing field" with China, and each side will do what it can.
[Modi and Biden meet, US-India relations are getting closer and closer]
The closer relations between India and the United States, both economic and military, are aimed at making India one of the world's great powers, and also for the sake of competing with China, a neighbor, especially since there are border problems between the two sides. Jaishankar's remarks make people wonder if India has "changed its character" and no longer sees China as an "adversary" and a "threat"?
However, India has now shown that its attitude towards China has not changed, and India still regards the Sino-Indian border issue as a top priority. Prior to this, the Indian side has repeatedly stressed that only when the Sino-Indian border issue is resolved can relations between the two countries be normalized. Some Indian officials also pointed out that only when the border issue is handled can a good business environment be provided for Chinese enterprises investing in India.
As for Jaishankar's remarks, it is more likely that he was trying to appease India's neighboring countries. Because some time ago, the Maldives, which is very dependent on India, came to a "rebellion", and the president of the country not only demanded that India withdraw its troops, but also left India to visit China and strengthen cooperation with China.
Jaishankar's emphasis on India's need not to be afraid of China and to "compete fairly" with China is also a response to the Maldives by showing South Asian countries India's generous image, lest they choose between China and India. If these countries turn to China, it will run counter to India's original intention of "dominating South Asia."
[External Affairs Minister of India S Jaishankar]
However, India regards China as an adversary, and China is not unprepared.
On the one hand, China has continuously strengthened the construction of forward positions in the border areas and strengthened its border defense forces. In this way, even if the Indian side wants to make a small move, we can give a quick and adequate response.
On the other hand, some time ago, China and Bhutan held the 25th round of negotiations on the border issue and signed a cooperation agreement on border demarcation and demarcation, and the two sides agreed to continue to follow the steps of the "three-step" road map previously agreed.
The completion of the border negotiations between China and Bhutan will bring the relationship between the two countries to a higher level, and Bhutan's further weaning off its dependence on India will be a blow to India. At the same time, the success of the Sino-Bhutan border talks will also promote the settlement of the Sino-Indian border issue. Since China cannot resolve disputes through negotiations, China and India can. If the Sino-Indian border issue cannot be resolved, India will be under even greater pressure.
Finally, I would like to mention China's infrastructure construction of reservoirs and other infrastructure near the border with India. Geographically, there are many rivers that originate in China and flow into India. In order to make full use of water resources and improve the economic development of the border areas, China has built water conservancy projects on these rivers, integrating irrigation, flood control, power generation and other functions.
[China is building a water conservancy project in the border area between China and India, the picture shows the Three Gorges Dam in Hubei]
India, on the other hand, is opposed to these water projects, believing that China is likely to manipulate these reservoirs to affect India's rivers, such as closing dams and causing drought in India, and releasing a large amount of water to cause floods in India, especially since India's main Ganges River has a main trunk that originates in the Himalayas, and India is more sensitive to this.
Although China's construction of water conservancy projects is by no means what the Indian side claims, it is even conducive to improving the environment of the river basins in India. But from another point of view, this is not a constraint on India, which will also have scruples in its actions.
In short, the purpose of the United States and India is to "block" China through India's hand, which is not beneficial to both China and India. There is a good saying that distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors, and China and India are neighbors that cannot be moved. The Indian side should avoid being tied to the chariot of the United States, and we hope to work with India in the same direction and cooperate with each other, and we do not want these countermeasures to really be used against India.