{"id":54961,"date":"2020-04-09T13:37:27","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T03:37:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=54961"},"modified":"2020-04-09T13:37:27","modified_gmt":"2020-04-09T03:37:27","slug":"chinas-covid-19-charm-offensive-isnt-fooling-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/chinas-covid-19-charm-offensive-isnt-fooling-india\/","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s Covid-19 charm offensive isn\u2019t fooling India"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

There\u2019s a war of narratives being fought between China and much of the rest of the world about how the Covid-19 pandemic began and who\u2019s responsible. Beijing has embarked on a misinformation campaign to try to erase its tracks and absolve itself of guilt by directing the blame onto other nations, especially the United States.<\/p>\n

China\u2019s friendly diplomatic overtures to India are part of that effort, and are intended to persuade New Delhi to support Beijing\u2019s confected version of how and where the disease originated. So far, India has played along.<\/p>\n

The Indian government hasn\u2019t publicly blamed any nation for causing the pandemic, though it has matter-of-factly acknowledged that the first case was reported in China. But that reflects typical Indian foreign policy behaviour rather than indicating any agreement with Beijing.<\/p>\n

Until a fortnight ago, relations between China and India were less than harmonious, particularly after the frostiness<\/a> that followed China\u2019s advocacy on Pakistan\u2019s behalf over the Kashmir issue at the United Nations last August.<\/p>\n

In December 2019, New Delhi expelled<\/a> a Chinese \u2018research vessel\u2019 from its waters near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Early this year, India seized<\/a> from a Chinese ship bound for Pakistan an industrial autoclave that it believed could be used to build long-range ballistic missiles and satellite launch rockets.<\/p>\n

Then China again raised<\/a> the Kashmir issue at the January meetings of the UN Security Council, adding to New Delhi\u2019s chagrin.<\/p>\n

But now we\u2019re seeing a new modus operandi between Beijing and New Delhi.<\/p>\n

During a conversation with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar last month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi raised the issue of what the novel coronavirus was being called. India agreed not to call it the \u2018China virus\u2019.<\/p>\n

Over the past fortnight, the Chinese government and China-based businesses such as Alibaba<\/a> and TikTok<\/a> have offered assistance<\/a> to India in the form of medical supplies, testing kits and even makeshift hospitals, most which New Delhi has accepted.<\/p>\n

The Chinese foreign ministry released glowing statements of solidarity, including a message from President Xi Jinping marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and China. China\u2019s official media, known for its condescending tone in references to India, has been extolling the virtues of Sino-Indian friendship, notwithstanding occasional references<\/a> to the perils of India\u2019s democratic system of governance.<\/p>\n

This change in Beijing\u2019s approach to India is clearly directly linked to its campaign to change the Covid-19 narrative.<\/p>\n

Beijing protested against India\u2019s ban on travellers from China in early February and is reported to have delayed clearance<\/a> of an Indian evacuation flight to land in Wuhan. And New Delhi\u2019s medical assistance to China during the peak of the crisis in Wuhan wasn\u2019t publicly acknowledged<\/a> by Beijing at the time. The acknowledgement of India\u2019s help came later, coinciding with New Delhi\u2019s agreement not to blame China for the virus.<\/p>\n

So, China is cranking up the charm offensive. But that\u2019s not to say that India is buying into the Chinese narrative or that it\u2019s ignorant of Beijing\u2019s real motives. Several prominent <\/a>commentators in New Delhi have criticised China for its role in the pandemic. The All India Bar Association has filed a complaint<\/a> against China at the UN Human Rights Commission.<\/p>\n

In a recent survey<\/a>, <\/u>67% of Indians polled blamed China for the pandemic and 50% said they believed that calling it the \u2018Chinese virus\u2019 wasn\u2019t racist.<\/p>\n

Editorials<\/a> in China\u2019s Global Times<\/em> are positioning China as \u2018probably the only one [able] to help a country as populous as India\u2019 and are warning against Indian media and individuals\u2019 attempts to \u2018stigmatise\u2019 China. The newspaper is also emphasising<\/a> the harm being caused to the Indian economy from the country\u2019s inability during the government-imposed lockdown to export goods to China.<\/p>\n

Despite Chinese pressure, however, India continues to act steadfastly in its own interests. The government didn\u2019t shy away from trying to curb a full-blown crisis by promptly airlifting its citizens from Wuhan, placing travel bans<\/a> on visitors from China, and even cancelling visas issued to Chinese citizens before 5 February.<\/p>\n

China\u2019s own travel bans and quarantining of entrants to China make it easier for New Delhi to resist criticism from Beijing. In contrast, Pakistan was pressured<\/a> to resume its flights to and from China just three days after suspending them in early February.<\/p>\n

At the same time, India sees merit in extending cooperation with other countries, most significantly within a \u2018Quad-Plus\u2019 setting<\/a>, to collaborate on procuring medical supplies and equipment and developing a vaccine.<\/p>\n

New Delhi has also attempted to resurrect the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation to fight the pandemic. India hopes, in the process, to reclaim its leadership in the region.<\/p>\n

India seems to recognise that no single country can be the partner it needs. That\u2019s a healthy instinct that comes from deep within Indian security and political culture.<\/p>\n

But India continues to pay lip service to the strength of Sino-Indian ties, and its tactics have already begun to bear fruit. Last week, China refused<\/a> to bring up the Kashmir issue at the UN, despite Pakistan\u2019s requests.<\/p>\n

India will continue to build a workable relationship with Beijing, extract benefits where it can, and refuse to participate in any initiative to name and shame China. At the same time, it will cooperate with regional partners to find solutions to the dual health and economic crises.<\/p>\n

Strategic autonomy and multi-alignment are India\u2019s default foreign policy settings; there\u2019s no reason to believe New Delhi will diverge from them in this case.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a war of narratives being fought between China and much of the rest of the world about how the Covid-19 pandemic began and who\u2019s responsible. 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