Changing discourse: Bertil Lintner.
Interview/ Bertil Lintner
China's India War challenges the notion that India provoked China into launching the 1962 war. In his book, journalist and author Bertil Lintner questions the conventional wisdom on the topic, shaped largely by the writing of scholars like Neville Maxwell and Alastair Lamb. Lintner says his aim is to provide a nuanced picture of the conflict, its genesis and progress, and the meaning of it all in the realities of today's Asia. In an email interview, he warns that there are several theatres and issues which could result in yet another Sino-Indian conflict.
Excerpts:
While working on the book, did you anticipate a crisis like Doklam?
I did not actually anticipate it, although I wasn't surprised when it happened. And, China's manoeuvres had less to do with the actual border conflict with India than its attempts to gain influence in Bhutan and drive a wedge between India and Bhutan.
How do you assess Narendra Modi's handling of China?
Modi has been much tougher than his predecessors vis-a-vis China, and shown that India has teeth as well. It is my impression that China now has to take India more seriously, and that Beijing won't get away with any shenanigans in the Himalayas.
Your book identifies Mao's quest to be the leader of the third world as one of the key reasons behind the 1962 war. Today, China is striving to be the leader of the world itself. Will it lead to another Sino-Indian military confrontation?
It won't necessarily lead to a military confrontation, but the respective geopolitical interests of China and India will clash in other ways, for instance, when it comes to political and strategic interests in Myanmar and, especially, the Indian Ocean.
Is China on an overdrive in weaning away countries like Bhutan which are traditionally close to India?
Not quite an overdrive, but the rivalry is there and China is trying hard to gain influence in Bhutan.
How will the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) affect China's ties with India?
India has always considered the Indian Ocean as its own lake, and China's very aggressive BRI policy is bound to lead to conflicts with India. This is the first time since Zheng He's ships sailed across the Indian Ocean in the 15th century that China has established a presence in that maritime region. That is bound to create problems.
Why is China challenging India in the Indian Ocean?
China is keen on protecting its vital oil supplies from the Middle East and shipping lanes to and from China to Africa and Europe. That is why China is establishing a presence in the region, and that's where India's and China's interests are bound to clash.
Do you think North Korea's Kim Jong-un's policies have China's silent blessings?
It is important to remember that Kim Jong-un, unlike his father and grandfather, has never been to China. He is pursuing a more independent policy. On the other hand, China would not like to see his regime collapse, which would lead to instability in northeast Asia, and, if the two Koreas were reunited, the possibility of the US expanding its sphere of influence all the way up to the Chinese border. And that is not in China's interest.
What, after the Dalai Lama, for India, China and the Tibetan refugees?
I would not be surprised if we would then see two Dalai Lamas (as we have seen two Panchen Lamas and two Karmapa Lamas), one in exile in India and another in Lhasa in Tibet, chosen by the Chinese. But I would be very surprised if the Tibetans inside Tibet would recognise and worship a Dalai Lama appointed by the Chinese. The Tibet issue will remain a major problem in Sino-Indian relations for many years to come.
China’s India War: Collision Course on the Roof of the World
By Bertil Lintner
Published by:
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Pages: 352; price Rs 675
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