Indian media hype village construction, stir anti- China sentiments

Indian media started hyping China’s construction of a village in a “disputed area,” saying the construction was built within Indian territory, which New Delhi is concerned about. But a Chinese expert said the move stirs anti- China sentiment, as the construction occurred within Chinese territory and serves the right purpose of improving lives of border inhabitants.

Indian media NDTV reported on Monday that China built a village of 101 houses in the so- called “Arunachal Pradesh,” which China calls South Tibet or Zangnan. Using so- called satellite images dated November 1, 2020, NDTV said the village is located on the banks of the River Tsari Chu, which lies in the “disputed area.”

India claims this area is its territory, but the Chinese government has never recognized the so- called “Arunachal Pradesh.”

Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times that he suspects it is another move by Indian media to hype anti- China sentiment.

“China and India haven’t demarcated the border line of this area yet. So they cannot accuse China of building a village on the Indian side,” said Qian.

In recent years, China has been stepping up border construction in border areas to improve the living conditions of those who live along the border line, said Qian on Tuesday, noting that Indian officials and military are fully aware of the situation.

The expert said that so far, the Indian government made no public comment on this matter. It reflects the wrong understanding of the border issue embedded in some Indian elites.

India’s Foreign Ministry did not respond directly to NDTV about the question on whether the village construction has been diplomatically raised with Beijing.

Relations between China and India nosedived since a deadly confrontation in Galwan Valley last year. In November 2020, the two sides began formulating a disengagement plan to withdraw troops and establish no- patrol zones.

Yet some Indian media did not stop hyping border issues involving China and neighboring South Asian countries.

The standoff between China and India concentrated on the western side of border for most of the time in 2020, said Qian, noting that although the situation is under control now, it has not toned down.

“We need to pay attention in case such confrontation extends to the eastern end, such as South Tibet. Media hype may serve to test China for some people in India,” said Qian.