China to US: India a 'lesser power', not an equal

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China to US: India a 'lesser power', not an equal


India and China are in the middle of a spat resulting from a mix of bad timing and unusual Indian assertiveness over the Dalai Lama's place in the religious pantheon here, as well as a new determination to pursue its economic interests in the South China seas.

The Sino-Indian boundary talks, scheduled between national security advisor Shiv Shanker Menon and his Chinese counterpart, Dai Bingguo, have been cancelled. That was after Beijing demanded that Delhi scrap a Buddhist conference at which the Dalai Lama was expected to be a chief guest. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China "opposed any country that provided a platform to the Dalai Lama and his activities".

Hong reiterated the Chinese official stand on the Dalai Lama at his weekly Monday briefing, saying he "is not a purely religious figure but one engaged in separatist activities for a long time, under the pretext of religion"¦We oppose any country that provides a platform for his anti-China activities in any form."

Indian diplomats said with China it was imperative to take the long view, which is that "anything India does with the Tibetan holy leader is the equivalent to taking a red rag to a bull," and said it was the invitation to him at the Delhi conference that did the trick.

'Not an equal'
The recent background to the spat is interesting. According to a highly-placed US government source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Americans suggested to the Chinese in June that they embark upon a trilateral dialogue with India. This first took place during the conversations between US assistant secretary of state for East Asia, Kurt Campbell, and Chinese vice-minister Cui Tiankai, during their inaugural US-China consultations on the Asia-Pacific region in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Chinese were very clear and told the Americans, the US government source confirmed, that "there was no need for a lesser power, like India, to participate in a dialogue among equals, such as the US and China".

The US government source confirmed that the Americans were "quite taken aback by the quietly confident manner in which the Chinese turned down the US suggestion on India".

The Americans, who have been encouraging Delhi to be much more enterprising in their foreign policy consultations with third countries, will hold the first ever trilateral between India, Japan and the US in mid-December in Washington DC.

Until last week, Delhi had seemed to take Chinese criticism in its stride. Foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai, speaking at the ministry of defence think tank, the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, said India would be happy to participate in a trilateral dialogue with the US and China.

In fact, the US has been keen to undertake joint projects with India in Afghanistan, in Africa and in the Asia-Pacific. While Delhi has shied away from engaging with the US in Afghanistan, it has happily reaped the benefit of a growing relationship with the US in east Asia and Australia. India's growing economy has also propelled it towards greater economic integration with Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Australia. With the signature of several Free Trade Area agreements in this part of the world, the sense of India expanding its footprint in China's neighbourhood is inescapable.

Indian thinking
So, when India finally decided to take up Vietnam's offer, pending since 1988, to explore and exploit two oil blocks in the South China seas off the coast from Vietnam, and Chinese premier Wen Jiabao raised the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the East Asia summit in Bali last week, the PM insisted India's interests were "purely commercial".

When India offered to meet China halfway at the Buddhist conference, saying neither the PM nor the President would share the stage with the Dalai Lama, Beijing refused and wanted Delhi to stop the Dalai Lama from attending. Instead, Delhi called off the meeting.

"The Indian elephant is usually very lazy, but once it takes a decision, it is very difficult for him to backtrack," said Srikant Kondapalli, Chinese expert at Jawaharlal Nehru University's School of International Studies.

Indian diplomats sought to play down the latest disagreement with Beijing, saying both sides would return to "business as usual" very soon.

Kondapalli noted that in 1956, the Dalai Lama had come to Patna from Tibet to participate in the 2,500th anniversary of the Buddha's birth, which then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had attended. Fifty years later, Delhi could not possibly tell the Tibetan leader not to attend the Buddhist celebrations, especially when he now lived in India.

Asked if this spat would have an impact on the likely visit of Chinese vice-president and president-designate Xi Jinping in January, the diplomats noted that the dates for Xi's visit had not been finalised.

The diplomatic sources implied it was time for China to come to terms with India's rising power and status in the region, considering Delhi had also been adjusting to the reality of China being a rising power that was ready to take its place as the world's most powerful nation.

They said India had watched China expand its presence in the Indian neighbourhood, especially in Pakistan, but had mostly kept quiet. "But just because China was becoming more sensitive about India's presence in East Asia does not mean India has to watch its step," said a government official.

Kondapalli agreed that China was becoming more "isolated, as well as confident at the same time," pointing to its holding of $1 trillion worth of US treasury bonds and its imminent shopping expeditions in the euro zone to snap up cheap assets.

On the other hand, as the US sold F-16 fighter planes to Indonesia, strengthened its trans-Pacific partnership with Australia, South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, and announced military bases in Australia, the sense that China's expanding might had to be balanced in some way by the rest of the region was becoming a greater concern, he said.
 

utubekhiladi

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there was no need for a lesser power, like India, to participate in a dialogue among equals, such as the US and China
haha! this clearly show their levels of ego and attitude. their ego will destroy their country someday. history will back-up my claims. now it is evident that china only respects power. :lol:

but we don't give a shit to the baby buffaloes like china. pakistan can give blow job to china and be happy :laugh:
 
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thats exactly what i am taking about. do you remember the prediction that i told you on facebook that day

:pound: :pound:
Maybe US views China as a lesser power and does not want the same association?( that China is trying hard to make with USA, but is still 50 years behind in all angles)
 

utubekhiladi

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Maybe US views China as a lesser power and does not want the same association?( that China is trying hard to make with USA, but is still 50 years behind in all angles)
all usa needs to do is default the debt.. lol and china will be finished. trillion dollars will be vaporized in minutes. what made chineses thinks that they are equal to usa now :sick:
 
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all usa needs to do is default the debt.. lol and china will be finished. trillion dollars will be vaporized in minutes. what made chineses thinks that they are equal to usa now :sick:
I have never heard one US politician talk about paying back this debt so this looks the plan??
 

kickok1975

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Sounds like American is good guy again who always embrace India and China is bad guy again who is always arrogant and ignore India's development. How many times have we read such kind of articles from a western media?
 

bose

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China is a third world country with third class mentality, nowdays with some new found wealth it want to equate itself to developedd countries.

The biggest issue with China now is India... China cannot think of a compititor in its backyard... Even with 1/4 the size of economy India is giving headaches to China. I remember even five years back there was no India and only China was the story, with the emergence of India along with China is giving bilsters to China.

In near future China will stand isolated and will have only another third class country as its only friend.
 

trackwhack

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Sounds like American is good guy again who always embrace India and China is bad guy again who is always arrogant and ignore India's development. How many times have we read such kind of articles from a western media?
Whether there is any truth in what the American said or not, the fact is the CCP is a bunch of retarded arrogant fools and have been covertly fucking with India for five decades now. Only a leadership change or a proper bitch-slap by India will set the relationship between India and China right. Your pick kickock.

btw : Glad you back, you were missing for a week, it did cross my mind that CCP stooges may have picked you up.
 

niharjhatn

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I don't see why everyone is getting so riled up. Yes - in terms of military might and economy wise, right now WE ARE a lesser power (relatively). Cold hard fact. It may take 10 years to get to the same level militarily, and as for economy... 20 years minimum if we continue down the same path we are now.

However, the fact that the CCP is constantly talking about India shows how worried they are by this "lesser" nation.

But what I find most hilarious is how on earth the CCP sees China is in anyway an equal with the US :D
 

SHASH2K2

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India is to china what china is to India. They point out finger to India but forget to see remaining finger pointing to themself. CCP is nothing but a group of retarded egomaniacs.
 

Ray

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The Chinese were very clear and told the Americans, the US government source confirmed, that "there was no need for a lesser power, like India, to participate in a dialogue among equals, such as the US and China".
Nothing surprising.

The Chinese have really got spooked with India exerting itself for a change by modernising its armed forces, beefing up the border and assisting Vietnam economically and with military training (naval).

It is a good sign that China is worried!

And fear the Indian shadow coming in their way!
 

Dovah

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I don't know about you guys, but I love the underdog status. No pressure.
 

lcatejas

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Its was hard for USSR to stand against Uncle sam than what is china....:taunt1:
 

p2prada

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Sounds like American is good guy again who always embrace India and China is bad guy again who is always arrogant and ignore India's development. How many times have we read such kind of articles from a western media?
I think China is just uncomfortable because India is getting the same attention China received from the US in the later 70s. This attention was good for China in the long run and India may reap these benefits as well.
 

Galaxy

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No 2 countries are equal in either economy or defence capability.

I don't understand the point of the article ? Of course, India is a lesser power and not an equal vis-a-vis China. Even a kid would say the same. Then why comparison ?? it is because of rivalry and geo-politics and emerging nation tag. Only China and India are 2 big country with population 1 bn, Developing, Improving. No other country can be compared.

Although China is decade ahead than India but one needs to know that lately China started behaving like Super Power U.S. which is 50 years ahead than China. Chinese leaderships lacks maturity, sensibility and diplomacy. You threat small country like Vietnam for no valid reason and try to make good relation with small island like Maldives, Sri lanka just to counter India ?? Is this gesture for a country which is 2nd largest economy and expecting to become Numero Uno ?

China consider Pakistan as best friend just because India is there. Chinese needs to take few strong and positive steps to make Asia more peaceful. Resolve border issue with India, maritime problem with neighbouring countries and stop counter measurement against by making proxy stooge like N.K. and Pakistan. These 2 countries will harm more to China than advantage. Why not make good relation with S.K. and India directly and problem solved ??
 

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