Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Nyingchi, a border town less than 20 km from Arunachal Pradesh this week which remained a ‘top secret’ until its official news agency Xinhua reported on Friday is now being interpreted in various ways  in India’s diplomatic and political circles. Among these, a credible interpretation can be that the most powerful person in the Chinese government did not make the so called impromptu landing in the town almost adjacent to Arunachal Pradesh just for inspecting the newly inaugurated Lhasa-Nyingchi railway line and certainly not for holidaying in the scenic township, also known as Tibet’s Switzerland. The intention was to send a message to India that across the strategic locations very near to Arunachal, it’s perpetual dream target of annexation, China is getting militarily stronger than ever before and the recent ‘upset’ suffered in Ladakh had done little in bringing discouragement. It remains to be seen how India’s External Affairs Ministry and the military establishment view this assertion, which can only be termed as unprecedented since the Chinese premier himself has been present physically in making it.
China’s unending claim that Arunachal Pradesh is South Tibet and very much a part of its territory has been much discussed, with talks hovering mostly over current geopolitical circumstances. However, it needs to be analysed retrospectively and recalled how Mao Zedong, modern China’s most venerable figure made his interpretation. Along with terming Tibet as the right hand palm of China, he floated the incredible idea that Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh (known as NEFA during his time) are its five fingers and it’s China’s responsibility to ‘liberate’ these regions. Tibet has been easy to capture and despite being ridiculed for the rest of the dream by the world in general and India in particular, the ongoing military build-up and infra upgradation exercises of a massive scale adjacent to Arunachal border is a reminder that the dream has been kept alive. And the 435-km long bullet train line connecting Tibet’s capital Lhasa to Nyingchi with a travel time of three and a half hours is a solid testimony to it. Built in less than 5 years, it’s an open secret that it has nothing to do with civic amenities and the purpose is singularly defence-related. The fundamental difference in approach among the leadership of the two countries is telling - when Indian cabinet ministers visit Arunachal for inauguration purposes, renaming of locations and other ‘precautions’ have to be compulsorily made citing ‘strategic’ defence reasons; the Chinese head of state meanwhile prefers to have a stroll and without uttering a word can convey all he wants to.
China is investing massively across the border and at lightning speed militarily strategic infrastructures are being built. India must act fast. 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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