New Delhi: China believes the US wants to “woo New Delhi” and “create an illusion” that Washington and other Western countries will support India in case of a confrontation as tensions remain high at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) near the Galwan river valley in Ladakh.
For the first time since 1975, both sides engaged in a violent face-off Monday in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
“The US wants to woo New Delhi and create an illusion that India has the back of the US and other Western countries. India’s importance in the US strategic chessboard is proportional to how the US views China as a threat,” said an article in the Global Times, a leading English daily in China, by reporter Yu Ning.
The article, titled ‘Washington feeds off New Delhi’s impulsiveness’, said the “hawkish forces in India have become increasingly impulsive and irrational in provoking conflict with China, partly resulting from US instigation and encouragement.”
It added, “Don’t forget, the US has also unscrupulously accused India of violating human rights … The US will exploit every possible chance to encourage India to act on US interests, but chess pieces manipulated by the US may not achieve what they hope for.”
This comes after the White House said Wednesday the Trump administration is closely watching the developments between India and China in the Galwan Valley, but had no plans to mediate between the two countries.
Also read: The more troubling India-China conflict is economic, not military
‘China can’t be left out of Indo-Pacific strategy’
Another piece in Global Times, which is considered to be backed by the Chinese government, states that the US plans to “use” India to “contain” Beijing.
“The US regards India as a key country of the Indo-Pacific Strategy. It wants to use India to contain China. Although India’s China policy has long had a tough side, New Delhi’s principle of strategic autonomy is contrary to the ‘America First’ policy,” wrote Qian Feng, director at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University in Beijing, in Global Times.
However, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2018 Shangri-La Dialogue speech in June 2018, Qian also mentioned that India has publicly stated that the Indo-Pacific cannot be seen as an exclusive club excluding China.
The opinion piece also said not just India but Japan, which is another important player in the Indo-Pacific strategy, will not be in a position to accept US’s actions against China on trade and other matters.
Also read: India can’t free-ride others to limit China. It needs to lead the containment strategy