You have to understand the whole thinking of China: Ram Madhav

Story by  Tripti Nath | Posted by  Tripti Nath • 1 Years ago
Ram Madhav, RSS leader at the Book Release in Delhi
Ram Madhav, RSS leader at the Book Release in Delhi

 

 Tripti Nath/New Delhi

‘’China should be understood not by its actions but probably the thinking behind those actions. You have to understand the whole thinking of China not from the incidents you encounter but the thinking of that middle kingdom,’’ said Ram Madhav, senior RSS leader here.

Madhav, former national general secretary of the BJP, said this after releasing the book China bloodies bulletless borders by Col Anil Bhat.  It was released on the eve of the second anniversary of the India-China skirmish in Galwan. 

“In India, we are trained in a totally different culture. I call it a very idealistic culture. If you have a target, never make that as the single target. You attack at five places. China will engage you in building dams, also interrupt your services, engage you at the border, also make other claims and also talk to you- five different things at a time'', said Madhav.

He cautioned against a needless hurry to find a solution to the boundary dispute. “Why this legacy issue in India. Who knows whose fate it is written to solve this dispute? We are dealing with a civilization. We are dealing with a cultural nation, not any other political nation-state.’’

Madhav who has also authored a book on China - 'Uneasy Neighbours: India and China after years of the war' said, “We still have no one answer on the 1962 war.  Similar is why they did what they did in Galwan.” He said, “The Chinese have this weird logic -. What I occupy is mine. What I claim is to be divided. Now, we have already started talking about Arunachal Pradesh because it is being claimed. They have still not occupied it. This is another tactic we should be careful about.’’ Madhav said that proactive engagement must be done with strong ground posturing as we did in 2017 in Doklam and in 2020 at the LAC in Galwan. “You have to be strong on the ground and we need to wait for an opportune moment.  We should be prepared for armed coexistence at every level.’’

Strategic affairs expert Col Bhat described his book as a saga of over half a century of PLA’s transgressions/aggressions over a very disputed border over 4000 kilometers. Calling out China, Col Bhat said that in 2020, they broke every single peace agreement. He highlighted the fact that the three rude shocks that the Indian  Army gave to the Chinese PLA were the 1967 skirmishes, the Galwan on June 15, 2020, and the third was the occupation of the Kailash range on August 29-30.

Professor Ravni Thakur, Head of the Department of East Asia Studies at Delhi University, said that Arunachal Pradesh really needs to be the focus of India’s future border management. She said that China has never hesitated to openly claim Arunachal Pradesh.  Arunachal Pradesh is part of Xi Jinping’s whole project of the reunification of the country. This is what they feel that the Communists must carry out in this century. By 2050 which would mark 100-year celebrations of the Republic of China, they want to reunify the lost provinces.’’

Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia, Ex-Director General Military Operations, observed, “ I think we don’t understand China. It is two years of Galwan. I have patrolled portions of the LAC. “

Paying tribute to the memory of Santosh Babu and 19 men, Lt Gen Bhatia said, “ Because of retaliatory action by Santosh Babu and his men, there were no more Galwans and no more violent escalations on the LAC.’’

He said, “ Our occupation of Kailash hills was a very good strategic signal to China that if you can do it, we can also do it. ‘’

Prescribing a 3 D strategy, Lt Gen Bhatia said, “ Defend the LAC, Dominate the oceans- the choke points and deter China’s aggressive behaviour by ‘bind to balance’ with other nations having convergence and congruence of interests.