China : potential military power status

9. 'China is using its economic relations and positive trade surplus as tools to develop potential military power status in Asia'. In the light of this statement, discuss its impact on India as her neighbor. (150 words)                                    10 M

Ans. Peaceful rise of China was the dictum used by the geopolitical experts to describe the increasing might of China, but this dictum has lost its significance in the recent years as China now has started to exert itself in the economic as well as the military domain.

At present China has the largest forex reserves in the world along with huge trade surplus ($350 B with USA, $ 51 B with India). It is using this forex reserve to influence the field of diplomacy.

In the recent years, China through OBOR (One Belt One Road) initiatives is building ports and military bases in the Asian and African countries. Through ports like Gwadar in Pakistan as a part of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor), Hambantota in Sri Lanka, Sittwe in Myanmar, Chittagong in Bangladesh, it is encircling India.

With these ports/pearls of strings and yuan diplomacy it wants to show its hegemony in the Indo-Pacific region. These measures have certain adverse implications on India

(i)     As China is influencing India's neighbours and most of them are also joining OBOR, this will reduce the edge that India enjoys with its neighbours. This can further weaken the SAARC.

(ii)   As India's time and tested friend Russia along with India's enemy Pakistan is joining China in its OBOR diplomacy, this can further isolate India.

(iii) Through CPEC, China is playing with India's sovereignty. This is further reducing India's dominance in the region.

However, India is taking China with initiatives like SAGAR, MAUSAM, Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, Maritime excessive like Malabar, New Growth Corridor with Japan etc. In Asia, India is following Gujral doctrine to further strengthen its relations with neighbouring countries.