India’s wishful thinking ‘an illusion’ as PLA is prepared

As senior Indian military officers are expecting a prolonged standoff in the China-India border region with the US reportedly voicing support for India, the Chinese military is demonstrating high military readiness on all fronts, as the intensive, simultaneous military exercises in the South China Sea, near Taiwan island and near the China-India border show India’s wishful thinking of taking advantage of US support is merely an illusion, Chinese analysts said Sunday.

Indian Army chief M M Naravane has briefed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on the situation in the border region after returning from his visit there on Friday, and the Indian Army is expecting the standoff to be a prolonged affair, Indian media reported Saturday.

Claiming China has deployed Su-30 fighter jets and H-6 bombers near the border region, India on Saturday deployed the Akash air defense system in Ladakh, Indian media reported.

The recent Indian moves came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that the US is reducing troop numbers in Germany and deploying them to other places to “face the Chinese threat to India and Southeast Asian nations,” Indian news agency PTI reported Friday.

The US has long been hoping to play India as a card in its strategy to contain China, and it is now using India’s domestic nationalists and hardliners in the China-India border tensions, Chinese analysts said.

However, on their part, it is wishful thinking that the US is coming to their aid and will help pin down the Chinese forces in the South China Sea and Taiwan Straits to provide chances for India in the border dispute, they said.

This is merely an illusion by the Indian Army that cannot represent the Indian leadership, as the US will only take advantage of India to contain China and is unlikely to march to the frontlines themselves. This “strategic surrounding” on China is very weak, Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has very high war preparedness in all fronts, but despite tensions, the risk of a large-scale military conflict remains very low thanks to the PLA’s strength and strategic deterrence, Wei said.

Understanding the PLA’s capabilities in the Asia-Pacific, the US is not going to have a hot war with China, so what gave India the courage to think about doing so, Chinese military observers asked.