Dr.Thomas (Special Correspondent)
Chinese president,Xi Jinping,met Indian Prime Minister,Narendra Modi,at the recently held G20 dinner.Hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo,the dinner was on the subject of global well-being issues like health and food security.
Meeting after two years since the 2020 military standoff in Galwan Valley,this was the first time the camera caught the leaders of these two South Asian countries exchanging words.
What the conversation was about,is left up to speculation,as the world remains uncertain still without growing tensions on the Indo-Chinese border.
Closely following what seemed like an amicable meeting,Chinese soldiers situated extremely close to Indian borders had some hostile exchanges. Given the increased infiltration by the Chinese armed forces into India’s eastern Ladakh, this is cause for concern.
While it might seem an unfortunate coincidence, looking at the matter closely reveals that this has been a recurrent course of events in Indo-Chinese history.
History reveals a pattern
Four years ago, in 2018,when the Chinese leader met the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi,a similar course of hostile military strategies followed.
Although it might seem like speculation,being a country on the rise for political,economic,and social power,it might be naive to not wonder about China’s motives.
Are these political and military moves carefully strategized? Does China’s geographical neighbor, India, have reason to worry about hidden agendas?
Chinese symbols: a reflection
Being a country with an ancient history and strong socialist values,it is not a far-fetched idea to analyze Chinese ideologies through a skeptical lens.
Chinese values can be understood well through their symbols.While the country’s logo, the mighty dragon, is seen to symbolize affection by embracing.
It is a recurrent figure in stories,celebrations,and festivals.However,the practice of having a mighty and powerful creature as a dragon,capable of human ruin as the symbol for their entire culture, deserves a raised eyebrow.
The dragon is one of many characters that symbolize evil.Capable of tightly wrapping humans until the point of suffocation,the dragons then swallow adult bodies whole.
Does this sound familiar?Not surprisingly, this same contradictory behavior is brought to life through real-life political and economic moves.
It seems that Chinese leaders first charm other countries’ leaders,only to then act out in an unexpected, unpredictable, and unfriendly way.
India, however, is not the sole victim of this deceit. Tensions have grown rapidly in South Asia as countries like Sri Lanka and Indonesia cripple under China’s economic pressure.
To what ends these confusing strategies are, only time can tell.As of now, there is no word on whether a meeting is to be held to discuss these geographical violations against India.
As people worry for their lives in the Indian subcontinent and surrounding countries that are all less powerful than the superpower, the question remains unanswered: What is China trying to do, and to what extent will it go to accomplish it?
