India must take a cue from China’s growing belligerence against Taiwan

Two weeks ago, China conducted a three-day military drill on the Taiwan Straits, the strategic waterway that divides the democratic Republic of China (Taiwan) from the autocratic People’s Republic of China. The ‘fault’ of Taiwan was that its President, Tsai Ing-wen, had visited the United States and met the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy. This would be seen as a ‘provocation’, China had already warned. The sequence of events this time were eerily similar to what happened in August last year. US House speaker Nancy Pelosi had paid a visit to Taipei and China had responded by conducting live-fire exercises against Taiwan. This time also, China first responded by issuing charged-up statements against the visit and sanctioned a few individuals and entities who were involved in Tsai Ing-Wen’s tour to America. But the real reaction from Beijing came in the form of a three-day military drill around Taiwan as soon as Ing-Wen returned. It deployed multiple jets, warships and its Shandong aircraft carrier to demonstrate that it can effectively blockade Taiwan in any actual combat situation. After concluding this spectre to scare Taiwan, the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command issued a statement declaring that “any form of Taiwan independence separatism and foreign interference” would be resolutely crushed. China’s recent show of belligerence against Taiwan isn’t a one-off case. In the last few years, it has only been on an upwards trajectory. In December last year, China sent a record 16 nuclear-capable bombers into Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). These violations increased in the past with 2022 proving to be the year with the most number of incidents happening almost on a daily basis. China under Xi Jinping clearly is on a military escalation spree. Taiwan is its worst victim. Taiwan, or the Republic of China as it is officially called, is claimed by China as its breakaway province. Beijing uses its historical claim from the times of Qing dynasty in 1683 to back its stake in Taiwan. Taiwan came under Japanese possession in 1895 after China lost the first Sino-Japanese war but after Japan’s defeat in World War II, Taiwan came back into China’s fold again. However, a civil war was raging in unified China at that time between the Kuomintang and Communist Party of China. Mao Zedong’s CCP eventually won the civil war and a new state People’s Republic of China was established in 1949. The previous state, Republic of China, had to retreat from mainland China and it was now limited to the much smaller territory of Taiwan. The status quo continued for many decades after that with many episodes of flare-ups as well. PRC was widely recognised as the official representative of China with Taiwan having recognition from only 13 countries. But what’s significantly changed in the last few years is China’s spirited resolve to unify Taiwan with Mainland China. In the Chinese scheme of things, China was humiliated for a complete century by the west (and Japan) with multiple foreign attacks that also included the separation of Taiwan. And now under Xi Jinping, it has launched a strategy of ‘the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation’ which seeks to unify Taiwan with China by 2049 — the 100th anniversary of PRC. China’s revivalism and revisionism aren’t limited to Taiwan alone. India is also a victim of the same. Just last month, China had issued names of places that lie in the Indian territory of Arunachal Pradesh which PRC calls Zangnan or Southern Tibet. Even here Chinese claim draws from its perpetual victim mode. It refuses to recognise the McMahon Line which delineated the border between Tibet and India in 1912 during the British era, saying Tibet had no independent actor capability. A similar show of belligerence against India has been undertaken by Beijing since 2013 in both the eastern as well as the western sectors. China’s actions against Taiwan must serve as a lesson for India as well. Today, as per the China-Taiwan conflict watchers, a showdown is imminent with Beijing attacking Taiwan by the end of this decade. It is no more a question of if but when. In such a scenario, India also has to watch out for its core interests. Taking a cue from this, Japan has overturned its post-World War II stand to remain a pacifist country. It is militarising at a rapid pace and results are there for all to see. India should also junk its old shibboleths. In order to deal with the dragon, India must court its new friends with an even more open mindset. Also, building its manufacturing strength is no more a choice but a necessity for India, especially to set-off its dependence on cheap Chinese imports. But an important policy change that India can make is its stand on the One-China policy. India’s discontinuation of mentioning the policy in its official discourse has been a welcome change in the past, but the changing times are demanding something more from India. The author is a PhD in International Relations from the Department of International Relations, South Asian University. Her research focuses on political economy of South Asia and regional integration. Views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.