China, India and the leadership of Asia

The world is a dynamic place and nothing is static. Nations produce leaders who make their countries great and some do not have the vision and let their countries down. A classic example is China and India in Asia. The 19th and 20th centuries saw a seesaw between the two for a prominent position in Asia and, as it is, the Chinese dragon is breathing fire everywhere while the Indian elephant rushes to find a place for itself. .

Background

At the turn of the century, the omnipotent power in Asia was the British. They were cunning and they had removed the dragon’s fangs. By virtue of their ruling India, the country was way ahead of China. It was a safe period with Tibet as a classic buffer state between India and China. Industry began to flourish in India, and the British established a network of railways and roads that was unrivaled in the world. Jamshedji was allowed to establish the first steel plant outside of Japan, and an aircraft factory was operational in Bangalore. China at the time was embroiled in internal conflicts as warlords with massive private armies ruled and fought each other. There was almost anarchy and no industry worthy of the name existed. There were also two other players in China, namely the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, who fought each other. By contrast, India was at peace and progressing.

shifting foothold

Towards the middle of the last century, the foothold began to shift towards China. Mao Tse Tung’s communists won a decisive victory and General Chiang Kai Shek fled to Formosa. At that time, in 1948, even a bicycle was made in China, and the handling of agriculture was primitive. In India, a steel plant was in operation and automobiles and airplanes were manufactured. There was no comparison with China, as the rupee was at near parity with the pound sterling. Chinese currency was worthless.

India also inherited all the rights of the British imperial power. Tibet was a buffer state and the Indian Army was allowed to station troops at strategic locations in Tibet. Logically, India under Nehru should have built on this platform, but within a decade China was ahead of India. In contrast, this strategic vision was absent in the Indian leadership led by Nehru and his successors. Almost all rights that the British had so meticulously accumulated in Tibet were relinquished. The right to maintain troops in Tibet was wasted and Nehru, fearing a military coup, decided to give the military the lowest priority.

chinese supremacy

China attacked Tibet and occupied it and Nehru just sat and watched. This was the turning point in Asia and established China as the leading power. A brief border war in 1962 followed with a decisive Chinese victory, and suddenly India was reduced to a fifth-rate power. All the gains of the British accumulated over 100 years were wasted when the Chinese began a massive military buildup. China also started a massive military-industrial base, while Nehru wasted time trying to be a “great non-aligned leader.”

rise of china

Within another 5 decades, the Chinese following Mao’s Red Book encircled India, occupying vast tracts of Indian land and claiming the entire northeastern state of NEFA (now Arunachal Pradesh) as part of China. China became very focused and followed a system of reverse engineering that saw it catch up with the West. They took advantage as a nuclear power and, in contrast, the Indian President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, spoke of disbanding the army and having all tasks carried out by a police force. One cannot think of anything more playful than this. Successive Indian Prime Ministers like Morarji Desai misunderstood geopolitical power and let India collapse. Now China is backing a hostile Pakistan and has moved Nepal and Lanka away from Indian influence. The Chinese are encircling India and their military-industrial base is 2 decades ahead of India. Considering that in 1948 China’s industry was primitive, this is a great achievement. They are now the dominant power in Asia, while India seeks ways and means to assert itself. Things will not be easy and it is possible that the Chinese will have the last laugh in this scenario.