The Hindu : Front Page : Karat sees ulterior motives behind revival of China bogey

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Saturday, Oct 03, 2009
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Karat sees ulterior motives behind revival of China bogey

Special Correspondent

Links it to fear over growing economic power of the Asian giants

Prakash Karat

NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday said the recent attempts to create complications in Sino-Indian relations must be seen in the context of the growing economic power of these two Asian giants and lobbies that seek strategic alliance with the United States.

“There has been a revival of the bogey of the threat from China among sections of the corporate media and strategic experts. A series of hostile manoeuvres by China have been cited… All such reports were either baseless or highly exaggerated… Both the Chinese and Indian governments have stated that there are no tensions growing on the border,” CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said in an article in the party organ, People’s Democracy.

He said the rising economic power of the two countries was presented as a source of conflict between the two and in strategic terms, China was sought to be pitted against India. “Those dominating the world economic order would like nothing better than a relationship of rivalry and conflict between China and India,” he said.

Right-wing circles, he noted, were prompt in picking up the theme of a threat from China, with the RSS chief, highlighting the alleged threat. This was being orchestrated to demand greater defence preparedness against China, the unstated requirement being deeper strategic and military ties with the United States.

Citing a recent news report in The Washington Post on how American defence firms were lobbying in New Delhi, he said top commanders of the U.S. armed forces who regularly visited India unfailingly pointed to the military threat posed by China.

“The recent efforts to create complications in India-China relations must be seen in this context. Within India, the lobbies that want the strategic alliance with the United States to be cemented are precisely those who seek to thwart the potential of India-China cooperation.”

Mr. Karat said steps to normalise relations and develop ties between the two countries had been steadily progressing since Rajiv Gandhi’s visit to China in 1988 and cooperation between New Delhi and Beijing was in the interest of both countries.

This was reflected in trade between the two countries outstripping the 2010 target of $ 40 billion by 2008 itself with the volume reaching $52 billion, despite various irritants. Both countries were cooperating on issues such as WTO and climate change, while new groupings like BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) were important trends.

Besides strengthening bilateral relations, by working together on international fora for restructuring the international economic order, advancing the interests of developing countries, and working for regional cooperation, peace and security would be a major factor in countering “imperialist domination and the various provocations for aggression and wars,” the article said.

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