Sikkim stand-off: Modi-Trump meet emboldened India, says Chinese expert

As India and China grapple with the on-going border stand-off in the Sikkim sector, a Chinese strategic expert said on Monday that Delhi was emboldened to tackle China following last month's meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in Washington.

"Because the border face-off and the announcement of the anti-dumping probe [against China] occurred around the same time as Modi's two-day visit to the US, people link India's bravura with the Modi-Trump meeting," said Liu Zongyi, senior fellow of Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, in a commentary published on Monday in the hawkish Party-run tabloid Global Times.

The stand-off began last month when Bhutan on June 16 objected to China building a road in the Doklam plateau near the India-China-Bhutan trijunction, which is disputed by Bhutan and China. When China ignored Bhutan's protests, Indian troops two days later approached the PLA and urged them to stop altering the status quo in the disputed region.

CHINA'S IRE ON INDIAN INVOLVEMENT

China, however, has turned its ire on India's involvement, saying Indian troops had "trespassed" across the India-China border into what China sees as its territory. Beijing has released several statements, photographs and maps and on Sunday, its official media said India had "violated international law".

Liu, the expert, wrote that "Indian troops crossed the undisputed Sikkim section of the China-India border and impeded Chinese workers from building roads a few days before Modi's visit to the US", which he said was "aimed to demonstrate to the US India's firm determination to constrain China's rise."

"Apart from the territorial dispute, India announced that it would initiate an anti-dumping probe against high tenacity polyester yarn from China," he said.

Liu, however, argued that "despite Trump's respect for Modi, an India that lags far behind the US and China in national strength is unlikely to win Trump's affection. The US-India relationship has been beset by some thorny issues like the US trade deficit to India, the US restriction on granting H-1B visas and climate change since last year," he said.

The Chinese expert was also critical of the US move to designate Hizb chief Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist, which he said "India pursued and accords with the US view that Pakistan is a source of regional disputes, rather than a catalyst for dispute settlement. Such an approach that separates the India-Pakistan dispute with the Afghan issue is likely to trigger more hassles," he said.

Also Read:

Bhutan urges India, China to engage to de-escalate tensions

Beyond Doka La: 10 irritants in India-China relation

Also Watch:

China claims these photographs prove Indian Army crossed the border