Tiananmen Square parade

China's display of its range of ultra-potent missiles during the victory parade on Thursday caused quite a few tremors among Western analysts but the lesson for India is considerably different. This is the first time China opted for a military parade on September 3, a day after Japan's surrender to mark the closure of World War II in 1945. India decided for a low-key representation in order not to displease its allies-in-the-making, many of whom did not turn up for the parade. As a former military man, Gen V. K. Singh(retd), the Indian representative at the parade, would have understood that Beijing was primarily messaging Japan and the US in the context of its confrontation with them in areas considered Western preserves till some time back.

China displayed more than a new range of missiles. It demonstrated diplomatic finesse also. First, a parade-eve editorial in the People’s Daily talked of the need to “deter Japan” and “show off China’s military might”. Then it was diluted to “conveying that China is devoted to safeguarding international order rather than challenging it”. The point was made. And made well. China was basically replying to the US forward military presence in the Pacific and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plans for large scale militarisation and did not heed Tokyo's express plea not to turn the parade into an anti-Japanese event.

India should be concerned about China's plans to invest more in the navy at a time when both countries are trying to project their sea power in each other’s maritime domains with their impressive naval capacity of “anti-access and area denial”. This helped China check America’s maritime forward posture. India too can respond similarly. But this means a massive commitment and equally massive investment. It is clear that this frittering of resources will be disastrous for both when China and India are struggling with their economies. Rather, it is time to enhance mutual trust that was emphasised by both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinpeng.