New Delhi: Withholding the vast Indian market from Chinese telecom players looking to ace the 5G race, and courting a “rebel” territory of the dragon: India has several interesting options to get back at China for not letting the UN Security Council list Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, members of the strategic and diplomatic community told ThePrint.
Former intelligence official and China expert Jayadeva Ranade said India should immediately reject any proposal from the Chinese to roll out 5G technology, the next frontier in faster internet connectivity, in this market.
Chinese telecom giant Huawei had said last month that India would be its biggest market after China for 5G, which is likely to be launched this year or by 2020.
“We have to be stronger in our approach. We cannot continue to have such a soft approach with China,” former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal added. “We cannot keep our markets open to them always.”
Ranade also suggested that while India maintains its ‘One China’ policy — whereby it doesn’t have formal ties with Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province despite Taepei’s claims of independence — it can take significant measures to seek greater investments from Taiwan and open up India’s market to Taiwanese technology.
An Indian official told ThePrint on the condition of anonymity that the Modi government was under severe pressure in his domestic constituency on how it should “punish” China in light of Beijing’s latest bid to keep Azhar off the UNSC 1267 ISIL and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee list, which identifies individuals and entities associated with the two terror groups and puts them under punishing sanctions.
Earlier this week, China placed a ‘technical hold’ on a proposal moved by the US, the UK and France — its fellow permanent members of the UNSC — to get Azhar ilisted as a global terrorist by the committee, a tag that would put him under a travel ban, assets freeze and arms embargo.
Also read: US looks for alternatives as China again foils bid to tag Masood Azhar a terrorist
The proposal came after the Pulwama attack that killed 40 CRPF soldiers last month. The Pakistan-based JeM, which has been proscribed by the committee, had claimed responsibility for the attack, among the bloodiest in Kashmir since a JeM terror strike in 2001 killed 39 people at the J&K assembly in Srinagar.
The hold placed by China will be valid for up to six months, after which it can be extended by another three months. If Beijing does not act within this nine-month period, the hold will automatically convert into a block on the proposal.
This is the fourth time China, a key Pakistan ally, has foiled international efforts to get Azhar on the UNSC sanctions list.
“The Chinese technical hold on the listing of Azhar is a cautionary reminder of China’s deep strategic commitment to Pakistan, which continues to complicate our ties with China,” said Ashok K. Kantha, director of the Delhi-based Institute of Chinese Studies.
“It is also a reality check regarding the limitations of the understandings reached at Wuhan,” the former Indian ambassador to China added, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China President Xi Jinping’s first informal summit in China last April.
“There are structural challenges in India-China relations which need to be addressed and not wished away … border-related issues, too, must be managed well even when they cannot be resolved in the foreseeable future,” he added.
Also read: By blocking Masood listing, China is playing a risky ‘good terrorist’ vs ‘bad terrorist’ game
‘New Delhi’s disappointment’
The statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs after China put the technical hold expressed New Delhi’s “disappointment” at the move even as it refrained from naming the country.
This was the first time that India didn’t name China in such a statement.
The UNSC development has spurred calls for retribution against China, with hashtags such as #BoycottChineseGoods, #Chinasupportsterrorism and #ChinabacksMasood trending on Twitter.
It has also become a political hot button, with the opposition alleging that the Chinese decision suggested the Narendra Modi government had failed to take a tough stand against terrorism.
Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh, however, hit back at critics, tweeting a veiled jibe at the BJP-led government’s Congress predecessors Wednesday.
Is China’s stance on Mazood Azhar a reflection of the soft position that some leaders & political parties have taken?
Blocking us for the 4th time at the UN, China is not setting the right example for the global fight against terrorism.
— Vijay Kumar Singh (@Gen_VKSingh) March 14, 2019
Meanwhile, China said Thursday that it had placed a hold on the decision in order to seek more time on the matter so that a “lasting solution” acceptable to all can be found.
Also read: Seen as US’ successor in Afghanistan, China can take any stand it wants on Masood Azhar
I think we should not buy products from china. Instead get more imports from Taiwan and develop our states bordering China. Have more military preparedness in the border states.
Let all political parties unite and appeal to public to boycott all Chinese goods, traders should boycott and teachers should tell students to boycott Chinese toys, equipment, machines and sites or Apps from China. Travel agents to refuse serving Clients for China travel , both for business, pleasure. existing business contracts be terminated under FM. Voters should elect those who come out more Vocal. Voters also to decide while voting NAMO for he has not yet uttered a single word agains China
Good propositions to hold China on 5 G and having access to Taiwan instead of One China.
The author must also state what India can lose from its China ban. It is an unequal equation. The whole world is relying on China from a business perspective and by having a ban on China, India will also lose directly PLUS China will use its muscle power to influence big countries of the world and that will include both Russia and the USA to marginalise India. , It is similar influence India gets on ICC Cricket matches. Money talks.
In addition, China will directly support Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Mizoram and Arunachal against India. Yes, Mizoram and Arunachal are officially part of the Republic of India but the reality is their loyalty goes to China because the Indian government has been neglecting the border states for a long time.
Interestingly international politics is not so simple to solve.
I was working on my lawn sprayer which said made in USA. As I am trying to fix it, I work on a shitty part which has making of Made in China. I totally agree with total voluntary national initiative that people reject anything made there. Can we?
It is obvious that China has been financing Masood all thE time and may have finaNced the Mumbai attack. It is for our media to give as much publIcity to this with a big question mark “WAS CHINA BEHIND MUMBAI ATTACK?
There are no suggestions made in the article?
You cannot ban Chinese technology that is cheaper especially when India does not have its own. It needs Chinese companies to bid but get rejected helping other companies to keep their prices lower.
Here is what India can do. Start a MASOOD BAN.
1) Ban select products like cellphones and pharmaceuticals and other products that are manufactured in India and their ban will not create a shortage.
2) Tax select products with Chinese content at 300% to allow other countries and Indian companies to build their own products.
And CALL for the FREEDOM OF TIBET!
The Indian Govt. should now needle China in a similar way… muck up their CPEC road plans by bombing our territory..I.e POK.
GET MORE FRIENDLY WITH Taiwan.
Go more often to Arunachal Pradesh and develop its infrastructure.
Send the Dalai Lama there often. ..to ARUNACHAL.
Sell Brahmos missile to Vietnam
Stop big ticket Chinese investment and NGOs and Celebrities sunil should campaign against buying china products
How about India doing the following:
1) cozy up to Taiwan.
2) express sympathy to the Uyghur nationalists; inviting one of their leaders to New Delhi
China should realize that two can play the game.
Why should china care for India as long as it’s business is intact? This is where previous and present governments are bungling. Can’t India survive with out chinese products?
Let us if Modi will take action on China. We should close our markets to Chinese goods, especially high tech like telecom.
dont buy hawai or anything where china has an exclusive monopoly ,patels statue made in china itself was a mistake ,thereason people choose china is sheer economics where a worker needs to be paid only 2 dollars a day as wageunder min imum wages programme,xi &co will automatically bebrought under control china always is in a dilemma whether to choose between india and pakistan and finally ens up back stabbing india,kind rgds dr panicker tms
Well said Jayadeva Ranade. India should hit the nation, where it hurts. Time to show that India can also act like others, when its interest is in question. Go ahead and change the foreign policy, make China sit up and take notice of India.