MR SREE IYER AND I HAD A FREE FLOWING DISCUSSION ON THE DIRECTION IN WHICH CHINA IS HEADING AFTER THE 20 PARTY CONGRESS. THE Q&A SESSION FROM THE AUDIENCE WAS VERY GOOD AND INCISIVE.
‘Sir, will China invade us?’ ‘We hear China has increased activities on the border’. Chinese consolidation activities on the LAC have prompted such reactions and fears. Lot of such inquiries from citizens within and outside India. Why? Bodies floating down Ganga, mass graves, lack of oxygen, medicines or hospital beds, botched vaccination program, uninterrupted work on Central Vista - all these have eroded our political capital immensely and seeded such doubts. Our national institutions are being compared to ‘rottweilers’ in the media. Economy? Unemployment figures and stock markets – both rattling up. Strangest combination. Rich getting richer and poor getting poorer. An ominous divergence which bodes ill. Leadership? Kis Chidiya ka naam hai bhai? National level paralysis in responding to the second wave. Erosion in comprehensive national power. Many have never experienced India being so weak. Nor did I for that matter. This frightening experience ...
Sir, if XI achieves militarily against India what Putin has against Ukraine, i.e, take over the prosperous and industrialized 20% of the country all at a disproportionately low cost in Russian casualties, he will be ecstatic. Let's not let our view of this not being an era of war or supremacy cloud our understanding of the enemies objectives. Achieving middle kingdom status by definition means that the rest of the world, especially the immediate neighborhood, are vassals.
ReplyDeleteSir, apparently the Scholz trip to China is to discuss relocating a good part of the German industry to China, versus the US as was expected earlier, because of the existential need for cheap Russian gas for these industries as well as access to the Russian market under the cover of China/Russia trading.
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