During last Saturday’s visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi when Arunachal Pradesh was acknowledging the development bouquet it was presented , an expression of disquiet from Chief Minister Pema Khandu have startled the media and common people alike. Our CM has obliquely referred to China and held it responsible for the drought of investment in the state.

CM’s statement comes as no surprise. China’s wanton aggressiveness and surging regional influence has always been a concern for our think tank on international policy and national security. China’s stand is clear.It seeks to be the sole continental power and only arbiter on any matter in the region and that includes economic as well.And its nefarious stand regarding Arunachal Pradesh bears ample testimony to this fact.

It still blatantly continues to maintain that Arunachal is not an ‘intergal and inalienable part’ of India. Even our PM’s Saturday visit is indigestible to them.Apart from playing invisible but active role in thwarting investments in Arunachal and backing Pakistan, Beijing religiously issues warnings to New Delhi, a stark violation of the basic bilateral protocols.

With such a formidable foe equipped with sinister intentions all the time,Arunachal’s position is delicate, more because it shares a long 1,080-km border with China. India, always a believer and practiser of ‘peaceful coexistence’ in the face of this evergrowing multi-dimensional threat now needs to shrug off cluelessness and pay in the same coin. Most of our foreign policy bigwigs have all batted for a multipronged strategical approach encompassing and stressing on military front as well as the diplomatic avenue.

When China is engaged in its military modernization, capacity-building, infrastructure development in Arunachal border with alarming rapidity, India on the other hand is trailing in making available cutting-edge mobility, weapons and equipment to its armed forces. Needless to say, we now desperately need to take effective measures for rapid modernization and upgradation of our military infrastructure with special focus on building infrastructure in Arunachal and other China border areas. If diplomacy is an art, we must take it to the highest aggressive level and expose Chinese designs globally using every possible platform including ASEAN, UN etc .This can prove to be an advantage for us given the respect we command globally because of our democratic values and non-aligned stand.

Again, if China’s role of halting investments in Arunachal can be termed as ‘economic offence’, we can  reciprocate by thinking of an embargo on their products currently enjoying a free run in our  markets. China’s ploy of paralysing Arunachal economically is not a 'localised issue', but rather a national one with broader ramifications for the whole of Northeast and nation too.

The tiger now must awake for its slumber to tame the roaring dragon.