In a new editorial on the Doklam standoff, Chinese state-run daily Global Times has once again warned that if Indian troops continue to linger on its soil, “countermeasures from China will be unavoidable”, claiming that the Narendra Modi government is as "naive" as the Jawaharlal Nehru government of 1962.
“India made constant provocations at the China-India border in 1962. The government of Jawaharlal Nehru at that time firmly believed China would not strike back. China had just undergone domestic turmoil and natural disasters; Beijing and Washington were engaged in hostility and China's relations with the Soviet Union had begun to chill…Fifty-five years have passed, but the Indian government is as naïve as it ever was,” the editorial said.
The standoff between troops of India and China at Doklam area started after Bhutan, which has close diplomatic and military ties with India, protested to Beijing about the People's Liberation Army troops building a road in the strategic location close to chicken neck tri-junction.
The editorial also claims that Indians have "become clear that Indian troops cannot defeat the Chinese People's Liberation Army" and that they believe that the US would interject on India's behalf in case of a conflict.
"It seems that New Delhi does not comprehend the nature of the Sino-US rivalry and the meaning of strategic containment. It thinks Washington can influence the situation along the China-India border simply by issuing a pro-India statement or sending warships to the Indian Ocean," it added.
India has lost in both the legal and moral senses. It also lacks strength compared with China. The outcome of the standoff between Chinese and Indian troops in the Doklam area is fixed. China has not resorted to a war because it hopes New Delhi can make a rational choice rather than China daring not to take action, the article also said.
“If the Narendra Modi government continues ignoring the warning coming from a situation spiralling out of control, countermeasures from China will be unavoidable,” the editorial warned.
Last week, minister of external affairs Sushma Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha that the border stand-off with China cannot be resolved through a war but can be settled through bilateral talks.
"We will keep patience to resolve the issue," she said referring to the Doklam stand-off issue with China.
Recently, Brahma Chellaney, a geostrategist and an author, wrote in Japan Times that China’s warmongering has become so “raucous” and “coarse” that, to the casual observer, a Himalayan military conflict may seem imminent. In reality, it's nothing but China’s psychological warfare.
