Dimensions of India-China Conflicts

 

April 2, 2011

 

Chaired by: Prof. Rajvir Sharma

 

Speakers: Sh. Mayank Singh, Correspondent, Sunday Indian, Sh. Satish Pednekar, Senior Journalist Presenting his monograph, Cheen ki Chunauti – Vividh Aayam (Various Dimensions of the Chinese Challenge) at a pre-submission seminar on ‘Dimensions of India-China Conflicts,’ Satish Pednekar, a senior journalist of Jansatta, said “China’s growing assertiveness vis-à-vis India is going to be the biggest challenge to India’s leadership in the years ahead.” The seminar was attended by leading academicians, journalists and experts on defence and strategic matters.

 

This latest monograph from the India Policy Foundation extensively focuses on various dimensions of the challenges to India’s long-term interests and indeed, its sovereignty by China, its main rival for regional and global power and influence. Pednekar’s monograph takes up the study of this subject under four broad dimensions of the India-China border dispute and China’s intransigence, its attempts to encircle and enfeeble India, its low-key but nonetheless potent asymmetric warfare and its geopolitical hostile posture towards India.

 

Several speakers pointed out the growing economic imbalance between the two Asian giants and stated that the Indian economy would have to sustain a growth rate between 9 and 11 per cent per annum in order to be able to equal China in the next two decades. Concern was expressed over the recent attacks on Indian students in Australia and elsewhere and discounted the much-hyped “racial” angle. They said a covert Chinese hand behind these incidents could not be ruled out as China has always been anxious to undermine India’s growing footprint across the globe.

 

Mayank Singh, leading journalist with the The Sunday Indian and expert on defence and diplomatic affairs, laid forth a comparative analysis of the defence preparedness of both India and China and stated the situation is not as despairing as is often made out to be. He said that India had many unstated and undiscovered strengths that needed to be effectively utilized in order to deal with the threat and challenges emanating from our northern neighbour. India’s policy-makers have to show more ingenuity and out-of-the-box thinking.

 

Prof. Rajvir Sharma chaired the pre- submission seminar and presented a brief multi-dimensional analysis of prevailing India-China relations. Prof. Rakesh Sinha, Hon Director, IPF, dwelt on the immediate relevance of the monograph on the various dimensions of conflict between India and China. He also outlined the Foundation’s endeavours in its coming research-oriented publications on issues of national and international importance.

 

The Foundation engaged a number of academicians and subject experts in order to finalise a document on the issue. Indo -China relation is a complex matter and divergent views prevail among subject experts and policy-makers. Every effort was being made to present the views in the most constructive manner and avoid imbalance and immature opinion. This was the third draft-monograph on the subject and after vetting one of them was planned to be published.