 "Even as Sikkim standoff persists, Chinese media publishes editorials to recall 1962 India-China War")
People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China, has published editorials, which can be dubbed as a clear warning to India against ’encroaching’ on its territory. [caption id=“attachment_2783020” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] A Chinese website published rare photographs from the conflict five decades ago to recall the 1962 India-China War, amid the growing tensions between the two countries in Doklam, in Sikkim since mid-June. People Daily claims that India’s attempt to “encroach” revealed the lack of desire to negotiate a settlement of the boundary issue and underlines that the patience of the Chinese government, the Chinese people and the Chinese border guards will not be unlimited.
“In order to protect the border troops in Zero Bridge area of China, in order to restore their contact with the rear, China will have to take necessary precautions, don’t blame us that we didn’t warn you,” the editorial says.
This is not the first time the Chinese media and government spokespersons have recalled the 1962 war between India and China, as a warning. According to The Indian Express, the editorial titled ‘If This Can Be Tolerated, What Cannot’, that appeared in the year of the India-China war, accused Indian soldiers of firing at Chinese soldiers across the border on 21 September, 1962. The reference to the 1962 war is a step up from similar articles in China’s state-run media. Since Monday, all of China’s top state-run media platforms, through opinions, editorials and expert interviews, have been warning India of “consequences”, slowing down of growth, the dangers of politicising the Dalai Lama and criticism from the international community. According to News18, the Chinese media asserted India’s “aggressive plan to encroach our territory” and alleged that India is encroaching on its territory behind the talks that were being held to resolve the issue. The piece subtly warned India that there would be casualties if the conflict continues. Although Chinese media has rarely mentioned the war in all these years, the 1962 editorial is the latest in the sharp commentaries that Chinese media has been publishing off late and, to a certain extent, has echoed what the Chinese government claims.
