Understanding Xi's China

Context: China uses muscle, money and soft power to further its hegemonic ambition. It is critical to examine the tactical shift in China’s policies.

Judging China’s ambitions:

• Perpetual Expansionism: China has been described by Deendayal Upadhyay as a creed of “cartographic aggression” back in 1959.

• Devoid of democracy and abhors liberalism: China tries to hide its actual character under the façade of economic growth and tries to convince Europe and Asia of their superiority.

• Use of muscle and money power: as a tool of geopolitical strategy, furthering its hegemonic ambition.

• Australia and Japan, wary of Chinese domination, started safeguarding their economic sovereignty.
• Rise in national self-reliance and non-hegemonic relationships has hurt Chinese ambitions.

• Tactical shift in Xi’s Policy: more emphasis on soft power.

• Pre-Xi regimes used communist parties to serve their interest and image under the veil of “ideological fraternity”

• Recognizing the limitation of this policy, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) now tries to cultivate pro-Chinese sentiments using soft power and engages with non-Left parties too.
• It proposes to export “Chinese wisdom and a Chinese approach of problem-solving”—which is the advocacy of illiberalism and rejection of open society

• Chinese Political interest in India:

• Historically, Peking radio and Chinese media have been accused of encouraging the rebellions in the CPI (M).
• Today, Chinese influence has increased in the media, academic, opinion industry, NGOs and socio-cultural organization.

Failures of India in judging China: 

• Neglected the warnings: The government in 1962 ignored various warnings about Chinese aggression.

• Inadequate infrastructure at the border: The pace of construction of roads, rail bridges, and airports, is slow as compared to China.

• Hollow idealism: India cannot neutralize China’s territorial ambitions by chanting peace; it can only do so by acquiring power.

• Trivialized Narrative: The hospitality extended to China in the garb of art, culture, and scholarships have trivialized the narrative exposing its authoritarianism and human rights violation.

• Reversal of Consciousness:

• Leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia, Deendayal Upadhyay once openly professed the independence of Tibet and sovereignty of Taiwan.
• Now there is no consternation among Indians about China’s role in suppressing Taiwan and Hongkong.

Conclusion: 

• China’s displeasure shows that the legacy of passivity and inaction that the current government inherited from the past has been buried.
• India has come out of delusion and now understands that Xi’s deception and lies are similar to Mao.