China forming powerful axis should worry India, warns former US NSA
New Delhi: Asserting that the bilateral situation between India and China is a reflection of China’s larger “hegemonic ambitions” all along its Indo-Pacific periphery, former US National Security Adviser (NSA) John Bolton has warned that Beijing is forming an increasingly powerful axis in the region.
“We see the pressure, most visibly now in East Asia – against Taiwan and against the Senkaku Islands that is a Japanese territory in the South China Sea. But, along China’s land border, obviously, its last big conflict was with Vietnam in the late 1970s, but there have been a number of incursions and conflicts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China. And I think, if I understand the perceptions in China, in the Indian military correctly, they see China as the major threat to India. And I think I think that’s correct,” Bolton, the US National Security Adviser (NSA) to former President Donald Trump from 2018-2019 and a former US Ambassador to the United Nations, told IANS in an exclusive interview.
As the Chinese side attempted to transgress the LAC along the India-China border areas following the violent Galwan Valley face-off in June 2020, the two sides have been engaged in discussions through established diplomatic and military channels to address the situation which continues till date.
Even as India and China continue to narrow down the differences and find early resolution of the outstanding issues, both countries have decided to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground in border areas in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements, protocols and understandings reached between the two governments.
Bolton, a seasoned security expert, believes that how things will play out in future depends on where China sees its opportunity to gain maximum advantage.
“This is one of the complexities India is going to have to face, given the historical relationship with Russia and the Soviet Union before that. And, the dependance India has had on Russia, the Soviet Union, particularly for sophisticated weapons systems.
But now Russia is selling those same weapons systems to China. So, India’s biggest potential adversary is getting exactly the same weapons from Russia, with which Beijing is forming an increasingly powerful axis. That could leave India at a real disadvantage. And I think how this Russia China axis develops, obviously, at this time, unlike the Cold War, China is the dominant partner, is going to be a significant issue for the Indian national security policy for the next quarter century, at least,” Bolton told IANS.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling to Laos on Thursday to attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit. Interestingly, Chinese Premier Li Qiang will also be in Vientiane for ASEAN events.
“As is normal and usual on the margins of international conferences and meetings, the Prime Minister will have bilateral meetings with a number of leaders. These are all in the works and you will get to hear of them as they happen,” Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary (East) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday while responding to a question on the possibility of any India-China bilateral meeting taking place in the southeast Asian country over the next two days.