Military options

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat’s statement on military options against China is fraught with strategic imponderables. He told a news agency on Monday that ‘military options to deal with transgressions by the Chinese army in Ladakh are there, but they will be exercised only if talks at the military and diplomatic levels fail.’ India has been staring down the barrel for four months, ever since the Chinese transgression was reported. Several rounds of military-level talks have not led towards a resolution, with the June 15 incident that cost the lives of 20 Indian soldiers, including the commanding officer, only exacerbating the engagement. China has so far refused to relent, and hence the standoff is expected to worsen during the cruel winter in the Himalayas. That being the ground reality, General Rawat seems to be expecting to achieve a breakthrough with this provocative statement.

Mobilising the troops along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh to measure up to the neighbour’s presence and refusing to get bullied by the Chinese, in fact, is a military option that India has already exercised. Along with the General’s comment, an unnamed Army source was quoted by a national daily speaking on the possibility of India doing a tit-for-tat transgression into the Chinese territory and holding on to it as a bargaining ploy. All these are de rigueur military manoeuvres and need not be announced in the media. Instead of reassuring people, these statements by the top military brass can only create confusion about their intent.

Decoupling of the Indian and Chinese economies is the most urgent step now for the government, which requires a grand vision on the future of the domestic industry. Beyond slogans, India needs investment, technology and uninterrupted supply chains in all sectors, particularly telecom and pharma. We have a ready market with a massive appetite whetted by Chinese products. Once our economy is on the rails with a direct linkage between the industry and market, we would have achieved much more than what military options, devoid of an offensive plan to target the Chinese heartland, can promise.