After Tawang, prepare for more Chinese aggression
Hindustan TimesSkirmishes between hundreds of Chinese troops trying to cross the Line of Actual Control in the eastern Tawang sector and well-prepared Indian forces who “contested” the intruders in a “firm and resolute manner” confirm that we are in an era of iterated rounds of conflict between Asia’s two biggest powers. The view that the US is “sowing discord” among Asian countries by intervening in the Indo-Pacific and encouraging Beijing’s neighbours to confront China is entrenched among Xi and his State apparatus. Given this aggressive posture underpinned by Xi’s “China dream of national rejuvenation”, incidents such as Tawang are not only likely to recur but increase in quantity and scope. India’s projected higher economic growth rates in the coming decade will also narrow the overall power gap with China, a factor that Xi would be staring at like a ticking clock.