Opinion: Time for India to cool down
On July 5, the special representative of the Sino-Indian border issues had a frank and in-depth exchange of views on easing the current border situation between the two countries and reached a positive consensus. This is undoubtedly a good thing. But at the same time, India's "economic blockade" against China continues. Indeed, it is time for the Indian people to calm down.
First, the Indian media is partly responsible for the worsening of Sino-Indian ties. India's "economic blockade" against China is, to a certain extent, the result of nationalism and irrational patriotism caused by the fanning of Indian media. The hype of the Indian media, which reported bad news but not good news, kidnapped the current Sino-Indian situation to a certain extent and increased the pressure on Indian leaders to make rational decisions. In fact, the rights and wrongs of the conflict in the Galwan Valley on the Sino-Indian border on June 15 are clear at a glance, which can be said to be caused by the Indian army. Even Modi himself indirectly admitted that "(Chinese army) neither broke into our border nor occupied any post". That means that it was the Indian invasion on the Chinese side that caused the physical conflict and then caused casualties on both sides.
Second, India's "economic blockade" harms others without benefiting itself. At present, China's dependence on Indian market is far less than that on American market. Just think, since China is not afraid of a trade war with the US, why is it afraid of the so-called "economic blockade" initiated by India? As a matter of fact, the Covid-19 epidemic in India is raging and natural disasters occur frequently, so India actually needs to focus on economic recovery. Unfortunately, various departments in India are busy introducing restrictions on trade with China. According to Indian media reports, the Indian Ministry of Finance is negotiating with the Ministry of Commerce to consider raising tariffs on watches, furniture and other products from China. India Express reported on July 4 that India would ban the import of power equipments from China. To such Indian practices, China responded in a low-key manner and did not immediately introduce counter-measures as it did against the United States. Given the bigger-picture of bilateral ties, China wants to give Indian nationalists a chance to introspect. Raising tariffs and rejecting Chinese goods will ultimately hurt the interests of the Indian people. Over the years, China's influence over the Indian trade, investment and technology has increased. Given close ties between the two countries in the past decades, it is difficult for India to "decouple" from China.
By Wang Shixue