‘China sees India as an economic, political and military competitor’

One of the first military analysts to raise an alarm about the border situation with China was Lt Gen (retired) HS Panag, a former GOC of the Northern Command. In an interview with Sunetra Choudhury, he talks about how the situation with China worsened with 20 Indian soldiers killed in a face-off on Monday.

How did we get to a situation where 20 of our soldiers are killed in that region?

I think we have not read China right, both politically and militarily. We have failed to appreciate what China’s political aim is. China sees India as an economic, political and military competitor not just in South Asia but in the international arena. Its intent is to impose its hegemony on India, and the border dispute is just a tool it uses. Otherwise all territories that China strategically requires were seized before the 1962 war. After that war, relations improved but...China refused to demarcate the LAC. They have kept this issue open and they use it to impose their hegemony on India.

You say that by denying that Chinese were in our territory, India committed a mistake...

I say that because China always exploits a prevailing narrative. For example, they exploit race relations in America. In India, the narrative is that of a strong government which has given freedom to armed forces and that we will take aggressive action. When these clashes happened, it was at a time when we said there was no intrusion. So the Chinese have said, “We have done nothing, we have only come up to our area...”

Why no guns? Sticks, stones were used in the face-off

...we didn’t want an escalation. So both sides wouldn’t carry arms, and at times you would see soldiers putting their hands in their pockets and talking. But sooner or later when armies confront each other, first there is pushing and jostling...and then, as temperatures went up by design by the Chinese, they came with clubs, they came with knuckledusters, studded baseball bats. It was an effort to show their supremacy and to humiliate us.

So what is the way forward? How should India respond?

We must have a clear head when we start looking at the future. We have two options. One, when such a thing happens even the Chinese will be disturbed; it affects them internationally...it calls for sanction internationally. It may create a ground for diplomatic negotiation. Our political aim today should be that status quo of April 2020 should be restored. Number two, at the end of this, we should demarcate the LAC so that such incidents do not take place.