Yang Jianli
China may be a powerful adversary, but its bluffs can be called.
On July 3, for the first time since Chinese troops killed 20 Indian soldiers in the Galvan Valley on June 15, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi visited the border region of Ladakh to rally the contingent posted there. And judging by China’s official reaction, the Communist Party didn’t see Modi’s response coming.
The prime minister was showing support for his troops, but also tapping into the growing anti-China sentiment that has been provoked by Beijing’s coronavirus-era brazenness. His visit placed the fighting in Ladakh in the broader context of China’s global expansionism. Speaking in Leh, Modi went for the jugular, admonishing Beijing for its expansionist policies. “The age of expansionism is over, this is the age of development,” he said. “History knows that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back.” [continue reading]