India
China trying to undermine India’s position in South Asia, says former foreign minister | India News – Times of India
CHENNAI: Former Foreign Minister Vijay Keshav Gokhale said on Tuesday that there would be more wars between India and China in the coming decade and that the relationship would become combative.
Addressing a gathering at Raj Bhavan in Chennai, Gambling hall said: “In the next 10 years, the situation will become tense. The battle between India and China will not only take place on land but also on the water as China’s presence in the Indian Ocean becomes visible. Armed coexistence will become the norm.”
Gokhale added: “Grey zone warfare (a military operation that falls short of conventional warfare), like the Galwan conflict in 2020, will increase significantly between the two countries.”
Gokhale said China was trying to undermine India’s standing in South Asia. “China is creating an impression among our friendly countries that India’s ties with the US, Japan and Australia are nothing but NATO in the making in Asia. Just like NATO’s intervention in Europe, which resulted in the war between Russia and Ukraine, China is propagating that India’s relationship with the Quad countries will result in a war in this region,” Gokhale said.
Talking about China’s perception of Indo-US relations, Gokhale said that China did not recognise India as a great power in the past, but that perception is now changing.
“China considers only two countries, the US and Russia, as equals and did not even consider India as a competitor. But now, I think, the perception is changing. China thinks that India has leaned towards the US and thinks that India is no longer a neutral country. China thinks that India is becoming a threat to them and so there will be a completely different approach towards India,” Gokhale said.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi in his speech called China a “disease” and India’s “enemy”.
Addressing a gathering at Raj Bhavan in Chennai, Gambling hall said: “In the next 10 years, the situation will become tense. The battle between India and China will not only take place on land but also on the water as China’s presence in the Indian Ocean becomes visible. Armed coexistence will become the norm.”
Gokhale added: “Grey zone warfare (a military operation that falls short of conventional warfare), like the Galwan conflict in 2020, will increase significantly between the two countries.”
Gokhale said China was trying to undermine India’s standing in South Asia. “China is creating an impression among our friendly countries that India’s ties with the US, Japan and Australia are nothing but NATO in the making in Asia. Just like NATO’s intervention in Europe, which resulted in the war between Russia and Ukraine, China is propagating that India’s relationship with the Quad countries will result in a war in this region,” Gokhale said.
Talking about China’s perception of Indo-US relations, Gokhale said that China did not recognise India as a great power in the past, but that perception is now changing.
“China considers only two countries, the US and Russia, as equals and did not even consider India as a competitor. But now, I think, the perception is changing. China thinks that India has leaned towards the US and thinks that India is no longer a neutral country. China thinks that India is becoming a threat to them and so there will be a completely different approach towards India,” Gokhale said.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi in his speech called China a “disease” and India’s “enemy”.
