By Tushar Kansal
China annexed the independent countries of Tibet, Xinjiang (East Turkestan), Inner Mongolia and Manchuria only in 1950s. Prior to that, all these countries were independent since existence. China has 56 officially recognised minority groups. This goes on to reveal the extent to which it has forcefully annexed hitherto independent countries.
To justify the annexation of these countries, the Chinese have successfully retold its history in a glorified manner. China is a single-party government with a tightly controlled media. The common Chinese dont know the truth about the illegal occupation of these countries by China.
Like a silkworm that eats the mulberry leaves slowly, China now claims Arunachal, Taiwan, 90% of South China sea, entire Siberia and even half of the Pacific ocean.
Like a silkworm that eats the mulberry leaves slowly, China now claims Arunachal, Taiwan, 90% of South China sea, entire Siberia and even half of the Pacific ocean.
Rogue China
An arbitration case was brought by the Philippines at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in Hague, under the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It concerned certain issues in the South China Sea including the legality of Chinas nine-dotted line claim over the South China Sea.
China’s advances in the South China Sea have the global community worried | Photo Courtesy: atimes.comOn 12th July 2016, the tribunal ruled in favour of the Philippines. The tribunal ruled that China has no historical rights based on the nine-dash line map.
The South China sea annexation has brought many countries together against China. Japan, India, South Korea, US, Vietnam and Australia have come together against the Chinese actions in South China sea. Malaysia and Brunei are also opposing such actions. Although Taiwan has an anti-China President, he is siding with China on this issue. Philippines dilly-dallying under its current President wants to shift allegiances from US to China.
The most worrisome aspect of the situation is the position of Russia and ASEAN. Russia has conducted joint Navy exercise with China in South China sea, indicating its support to China on the issue. Russia has no love for China, but EU & US actions in Ukraine have forced it to side with China. ASEAN nations who dont have a shared coast with South China sea, are looking more at their huge business with China than coming together under ASEAN umbrella to support each other. This appeasement of China by ASEAN is highly unfortunate. Looking at history, ASEAN will pay the cost for it one day.
It is highly imperative to get Russia and other ASEAN nations in this coalition against China.
Why China Dominates?
The reason for Chinas muscle-flexing is that it has gained too much importance. Till 2007, Chinas GDP was of the same size as Indias current GDP $2 Trillion. Come 2016 and China has grown from a $2 Trillion economy to a $11 Trillion economy. It has become the second biggest economy in the world after the US (GDP of $18 Trillion). However, the growth is fueled by massive doses of debt The nations total debt, led by rising corporate obligations, will reach 253% of GDP by the end of 2016, a doubling over the past eight years, according to credit ratings agency Fitch Ratings.
[su_pullquote align=”right”]An authoritarian China is a threat to the entire world. [/su_pullquote]
However, the real problem is not so much as its economic heft. An authoritarian China is a threat to the entire world. Proof lies in the way China has violated all International Treaties it is a part of NSG, NPT, UNCLOS tribunal and the Outer Space Treaty, to name a few. NSG & NPT were contravened by nuclearizing Pakistan and North Korea. And it blasted a defunct satellite in space in 2007, thereby creating hazardous debris in orbit, in violation of the Outer Space Treaty. China also abused its permanent seat in the UN Security Council by blocking labelling of terrorist Masood Azhar, possible UN action on Dawood Ibrahim, besides UN actions in Africa and Middle-East.
China is also supporting terrorist organisations operating in North East India and Myanmar.
Tibet Indias Cultural Brother
I was born in the Himalayas. Whenever I go there and stand in a quiet, lush scene, facing the mighty Himalayas, it pains me. It moves me to tears to see the land beyond Tibet, blocked for Indians and under the brutal occupation of China.
What has China got to do with Tibet, a cultural extension of India?
Tibet was independent till 1950 when the Chinese sent its forces to forcibly annexe it | Photo Courtesy: PixabayFor Indians, there is no memory of Chinese in our subconscious mind apart from an occasional Fa Hein or Hsuan Tsang. This is because we had a buffer in the shape of Tibet, between us and China. Chinese are an alien race on our doorstep. Their propping up of Pakistan is to keep India busy on the western border and get them to keep Tibet. India is too great a civilisation to be boxed in by artificial boundaries. Tibet was independent till 1950 when the Chinese sent its forces to forcibly annexe it.
[su_pullquote]Chinese are an alien race on our doorstep. [/su_pullquote]
Nehru was sleeping while Sardar Patel kept on warning him to stop the Chinese from occupying Tibet. The occupation has an environmental angle also. All of Asias rivers flow from Tibet and now the Chinese have constructed dams on them. The Chinese have also refused to enter into any Water Treaty with any lower riparian country. They are committing genocide on the Tibetans and have placed nuclear missiles in Tibet.
China claims Tibet, East Turkestan, Inner Mongolia, Manchuria, Taiwan, Siberia and Pacific island countries till Hawai, on the basis of the facial features of people inhabiting these places. Can it get any more absurd than that?
China claims Tibet, East Turkestan, Inner Mongolia, Manchuria, Taiwan, Siberia and Pacific island countries till Hawai, on the basis of the facial features of people inhabiting these places. Can it get any more absurd than that?
The Indian Civilisation
On the other hand, the civilisation of India is based on common cultural values. It stretched from Iran to Kazakhstan, Mongolia to Japan, and Indonesia to Mauritius. Its cultural affinity to these lands are as below:
- Central Asian countries of Iraq, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, East Turkestan and Afghanistan were Buddhist and the Silk route was a famous trade road. Once they were converted to Islam, marauders from the Central steppes came and attacked India for its riches. Scores of Hindus and Buddhists were massacred and forced to convert to Islam by the sword. Women and children were raped and killed. With the advent of Pakistan, India lost its connectivity to these lands.
- Iran is where the fifth Veda the Zend Avesta, was written. The rest were written in the Indus basin, in current Pakistan.
- Tibet, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, North Korea and Japan are all either present or ex-Hindu or Buddhist countries. Islam has taken over in some of these countries. Islam was introduced in South East Asia by Indian merchants who propagated the Sufi form of Islam.
Breaking the China-Pak imperial axis
The China-Pak axis is the real Axis of evil to borrow a phrase from US definition of North Korea-Iran-Libya-Myanmar. Its an imperial axis. China is already sitting on annexed countries and committing genocide there. The Punjabis of Pakistan are in turn doing their end of the genocide on Baluchistan, Sindh, NWFP and PoK. India has to do its duty of dismembering Pakistan into Baluchistan, NWFP, Sindh and merge PoK with J&K, leaving a Punjab on which the Sikhs have the true claim.
The China-Pak axis is the real Axis of evil to borrow a phrase from US definition of North Korea-Iran-Libya-Myanmar. Its an imperial axis. China is already sitting on annexed countries and committing genocide there.
Only recently, under Modi, has Indian Government woken up to make plans for dividing Pakistan.
The next step would be helping Tibet, East Turkestan, Inner Mongolia and Manchuria achieve freedom from China. It would call for great dexterity in use of international diplomacy, forging international alliances and military power. But most of all it would need willpower of the Indian Leadership backed by the unflinching support of its people.
India should create an association of Hindu-Buddhist countries. | Photo Courtesy: Visual HuntAssociation of Hindu-Buddhist countries
The immediate step should be to form a regional alliance an Association of Hindu Buddhist countries.
India should create an association of Hindu Buddhist countries with Japan, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mongolia, South Korea, Mauritius, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Fiji and Government in exile of Tibet. There might be hiccups in getting currently Islamic countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Maldives in the group but India should strive for it. The Saudi-led influx of Wahabi/ Salafi ideology through rapid propagation in Madarasas can be best countered by stressing on the Sufi form of Islam in these countries.
China has to be excluded since its an artificial entity and a rogue one at that.
[su_pullquote align=”right”]After India is done with Pakistan, India needs to walk the talk and get going with China. [/su_pullquote]
In the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi, all South Asian neighbours were invited, including exiled PM of the Tibetan government. It showed Indias support for an independent Tibet. After India is done with Pakistan, India needs to walk the talk and get going with China. Tibet, along with others, has to be liberated at all costs and the way forward is to form the Association of Hindu Buddhist countries.
Tushar Kansal is a reputed columnist and the CFO of IndusB2C.com
Featured Image Credits: Pixabay