India should be Aatmanirbhar in the fight against China, U.S. still a tentative ally
India is at par with China on grounds but lacks resources on water
As the Chinese government continues to deploy more artillery and more soldiers on the border, the possibility of India-China war continues to surge. Even though China has not admitted about the heavy deployment of its armed forces near the India-China border in Ladakh, satellite images show that China is increasing the number of soldiers and establishing tents, bunkers and storage units for military hardware. These structures have been built near the same site where the deadly brawl took place between the two countries on June 15th and June 16th.
The two nuclear-armed countries have been in talks to deescalate the situation in the disputed land of the Himalayan region. Diplomatic talks have taken place at several levels, be it major-general level talks or the dialogue between foreign ministers of both the countries, but no credible outcome has come so far. China has entered into the Indian territory in the Ladakh region at Galwan valley and is adamant to claim the site as their own.
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What do experts think?
Most defence experts believe that there are three ways to solve the border tension- Dialogue, trade sanctions and war. Most of the retired Army professionals and defence experts believe that we should use the first tactic- dialogue by increasing the diplomatic talks up to the highest level reaching the Prime Minister.
Experts do not want India to indulge in war because of many reasons. Although the Indian Army is well-equipped and skilled to take on the Chinese troops, China has better defence infrastructure around the disputed territory. They have a better transport system which can bring the soldiers fastly on the disputed site.
We cannot explore the trade sanctions, first of all, because lots of Indian business is dependent on the raw materials imported from China and second that, it will give a wrong message to the world. Foreign companies might not invest in India after economic sanctions.
We cannot be dependent on the US for war
In the last few years, India’s relationship with Russia has deteriorated because of India’s close relationship with the United States. Experts believe that India signed LEMOA (Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement), COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement and GSOMIA (General Security of Military Information Agreement) that shows India’s inclination towards the United States. The United States could be our potential ally in the fight with China but we should not totally rely on the US for a war-like situation.
During the India-Pakistan war in 1971, the US didn’t help Pakistan militarily despite being a good friend. We cannot bank on the US government for backing India in the fight. What if the government changes its policy after the Presidential election in November later this year.
China has a stronghold in the Indo-Pacific region with a powerhouse NAVY support but India is behind China when it comes to NAVY. Although India’s new friend the USA is increasing its foothold in the Indo-Pacific region by increasing the number of soldiers, we cannot totally rely on them.
Social Media wants war
Social media in India is buzzing with posts and forwards that India should fight with China and drive away the Chinese troops from our own territory. It might seem easy to say from the comfort of our homes that India should start a war with China but in reality, war can take thousands of lives. It doesn’t matter how strong and prepared our Indian Army is. What matters, is the loss of lives both countries will bear in war.
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