10^th July 1962- Chinese troops surround an Indian Army post at Chushul, manned by the Gurkhas and have a heated argument. 10^th October 1962, an Indian Army patrol is ambushed by the Chinese Army & heavy mortar fire is exchanged. There are heavy casualties on either side. Back in New Delhi, Nehru’s ‘Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai’, is slowly unraveling. But Krishna Menon & his ‘boys’ are still convinced that China will never wage a war against India. All this is about to change shortly.

20^th October 1962:  China’s People's Liberation Army crosses the McMahon Line and invades India. Namka Chu, Aksai Chin, Nathula Pass become the theatre of intense fighting between the Indian & Chinese troops. An ill-prepared, ill-equipped Indian Army suffers huge losses. The Indian 7^th Brigade at Rongla is in disarray. 22^nd October 1962. Brigadier John Dalvi, the Commanding Officer of the 7^th Brigade is taken prisoner of war. The myth of the invincible Himalayas is over. The Indian humiliation is complete & the national psyche is scarred.

November 1962. Nehru besieges Sam Manekshaw to take over as GOC IV Corps. He rushes to NEFA to be with his troops & then delivers his immortal order:

“Gentlemen, I have arrived and there will be no withdrawal without written orders and these orders shall never be issued” 

A beleaguered Indian Army gets second wind & offers stiff resistance to the advancing Chinese troops.

21^st November 1962: Ceasefire is announced & hostilities come to an end.

Though the Chinese armed aggression ceased in 1962, it spooked the Indian Political establishment no end. The military campaigns of Attila the Hun or Chengez Khan would have had similar psychological effect on their victims. The mere mention of the word ‘China’ would cause severe palpitation & fear in the Indian discourse. Things were however markedly different on the military front, as the incidents of Nathu La & Cho La in 1967 and Sumdorong Chu Valley in 1987 would reveal. Whenever the Indian Army stood steadfast against the Chinese bullying tactics, the Chinese would back off. Chinese bluster did not correspond to its actions on ground.

Cut to the new millennia. Buoyed by the manufacturing sector, the Chinese economy makes rapid gains and becomes the second largest economy (by GDP).The economic prosperity spills over to the military front. It indulges in massive expansion & upgradation of its Armed Forces. Soon China becomes the biggest Army in the World (active military strength), 3^rd biggest Navy & the 5^th largest Air Force. Chinese military might is seamlessly integrated with its behavior at the global level. It becomes an expansionist force. Currently China has territorial disputes with Japan, India, Indonesia, Bhutan, N Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei.

The rise of China has corresponded with increased tension in its ties with India. Chinese establishment still views India from the prism of 1962. Historical distortion, Military belligerence, an active support to Pakistan (diplomatically as well as militarily), are some of the cornerstones of China’s stance towards India. China does not want India to be a competing power in Asia, and using its proxy i.e. Pakistan, wants to keep India boxed in, with regional conflicts.

China is also not averse to using Water as a strategic tool against India. Last October, China announced that it was building a dam on a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo; as Brahmaputra is known in Tibet. Indian protests on Chinese hydel projects on the Brahmaputra have fallen on deaf ears in the past. Chinese projects in the Tibetan plateau threaten to reduce river flows into India. On other fronts too China has fiercely opposed Indian interests; it is the only P5 country to oppose India’s demand to have Veto rights & be a permanent member of the UNSC, it is also blocking India’s membership to the critical NSG. China has also played the Pakistan card against India, by supplying Pakistan with arms & equipments, which in turn are used to foment terrorist activities in India. It also invoked its veto to oppose any action against Masood Azhar at the UN. China also looks suspiciously at India’s support to the Dalai Lama & the Tibetan Cause. It routinely raises objections to the Buddhist leader’s travels to the North Eastern States or his meetings with the Indian administration. Chinese media has also spewed venom on India’s growing tie with World powers, be it USA or Japan. It also sees red over India’s ties with Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan etc. The Malabar navy exercise involving India, USA, and Japan is also heavily criticized by the Chinese. The multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which goes through Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK) is another instance of China turning a Nelson’s eye to India’s concerns. While China shows no tolerance to Indian sensitivities, it expects India to toe its line on South China Sea & One China Policy.

On economic front too, there is great disparity in Sino Indian ties. The total India-China bilateral trade in 2016 amounted to $70.8 billion while India’s trade deficit with China mounted to a whopping $46.56 billion. Clearly it is highly skewed in China’s favor. As Indian exports to China continue to fall, China exercises huge economic leverage over India.

So what are the options available to India to counter China’s hegemonic designs. Only a concerted military, economic & strategic response will be an effective counter against China.

India needs to step up building & improving the infrastructure in North East. BRO should speed up building strategic roads & bridges. Raising & equipping of the newly announced Mountain Strike Corps should be speeded up. Acquiring more submarines under Project P-75I, aggressive patrolling & monitoring of Chinese sea assets, in the Indian Ocean will send strong signals to the Chinese. China is already rattled by successful test firing of the nuclear capable Agni V. Technologically; Agni VI is not too far away. Enhancing military exercise with USA, Japan, Australia & other countries in the Indian Ocean rim will signal’s India’s intents.

Development of the Chabahar port under the trilateral transit agreement signed by India, Iran and Afghanistan should be accorded priority. India should also scale up its engagements with the Tibetan Government in exile & allow the Dalai Lama greater access. The upcoming visit by the Buddhist spiritual leader to Arunachal Pradesh is a welcome step in this direction.

On the economic front, India should also leverage the ‘Make in India’ program to promote greater indigenous manufacturing, prevent dumping of cheap Chinese goods, exporting high end goods to China, encouraging greater FDI in India are some of the parts to address the jigsaw puzzle of high trade deficit.

The failure of the recently concluded India China strategic dialogue amply illustrates that there are no convergence areas in the foreseeable future. Therefore India should concentrate on capacity building, all round growth & enhanced strategic partnerships with other global powers to counter China’s growth. Meek surrender to China’s demands will only embolden the dragon to continue its hostile anti-Indian stance. It is only when India truly asserts its might, that the Chinese will respect India. The incidents of Nathu La & Cho La in 1967 and Sumdorong Chu Valley in 1987 are a testimony to that.