Tension Spike Across Himalayan Borders; Boycott Chinese Products Gains Momentum

The India-China tension is spiked after the deadly clashes that unfolded between the troops of both the nuclear-armed countries on 15 June 2020 in Galwan Valley. The violent clash claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers and reportedly 43 Chinese soldiers. After the Sino-India war in 1962, India and China never engaged in such deadly fights on the border.

As per an earlier mutually agreed protocol between the two nations, the border soldiers were not carrying any firearms, and the clash was a hand fight by using spontaneously improvised weapons.

The Covid-19 pandemic has not only changed people's lifestyles across the world, but it has also changed the equations between countries. First, it has deteriorated the ties among the world's top economies US and China as the US and other western countries feel that China should probe about the origin of coronavirus.

The Trump administration is not satisfied with the way the pandemic was handled in the initial days, and it holds China and WHO responsible for the virus's widespread outbreak. The US alleged that the WHO has helped China to cover up on the pandemic issue. Also, the Honk Kong issue further spiked the tensions between these two countries.

Now, the US strategically supports India, and even in the recent clash, the US strongly backed India, which is enough to irk China.

So, if we look closely, the tension is not only on the borders, but there are also other levels of the escalating tension. In the ongoing pandemic environment, both India and China are also developing as strategic rivals. India sees it as an opportunity to attract more foreign companies and investments into the country.

Indian Army now free to deal suitably with Chinese aggression

After the fierce clash, now India has reset its rules of engagement with Chinese troops on the disputed border. Now, the Indian government has given the Army a free hand to deal with any provocation by China.

As per the new protocol, the commanders at LAC (line of actual control) are now authorised to give the Indian troops the complete freedom to handle any provocations at the tactical level.

Indian Defence minister Rajnath Singh has approved the new tactical approach after a meeting with Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat and the three service chiefs.

The new approach is expected to include movement of patrols in critical areas and also holding some high positions to give Indian troops an edge over China. The Indian Army is also expected to be free from earlier agreed terms of not using the firearms.

Ex-army chief Gen. V.P. Malik has welcomed the move and said that it was necessary for better self-defence of Indian troops especially in the recent time.

Boycott Chinese products protest gains momentum

After the 20 soldiers were martyred in a violent face-off on 15 June, protests are going on in multiple Indian states against China and Chinese products. There is anger among Indians, and they are burning Chinese products while promoting slogans against China.

In the wake of the heightened tension across LAC, Indians have called for a total boycott of Chinese products.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has launched a campaign 'Indian Goods - Our pride' to promote the use of Indian goods against the Chinese products. It has listed 450 products imported from China which Indians are asked to boycott.

The main objective is to hurt China economically by reducing the Chinese imports of 70 billion dollars to 13 billion dollars. After the pandemic disrupted the essential links of globalisation, there is a shift towards the promotion of the use of products that are made within the home country.

China, on the other hand, has reacted cautiously to the boycott movement. It has entirely blamed India for the border clash in the Galwan Valley but also said that it values its ties with India.

The Chinese are the biggest beneficiary of the bilateral trade with India, and the raising anti-China slogan is creating some worry for China especially it is discomforting news for telecom companies like Oppo, Huawei, and Xiaomi as they were doing extremely well in the Indian market prior to the Indo-China tension.

Indo-China clash is a wake-up call for International equations

The India and China clash has not happened for the first time as the countries have their long-running border disputes. However, this time, it is different as this was the first fierce clash after China has become a significant power. Chinese military expenditures as compared to India’s, increased to more than triple in size in 2019, and the recent bloodbath between India and Chinese troops is a wake-up call for the Indo-pacific region. The incident happened just weeks after the Chinese troops crossed the LAC.

The China's growing hostility is evident from its recent attitude towards the clash. Furthermore, Beijing considers the time after the 2008 financial crisis as a period of American decline and Chinese "strategic opportunity".

It is not only the US and India, but China has also recently faced worldwide criticism for the way it handled the coronavirus crisis which originated in the Wuhan city. When Australia asked for a virus probe, China got so irked that it imposed a hefty tariff on Australia's barley export to China- resulting in a sour trade relationship between Australia and China.

Going by these recent incidents and Chinese response to the severe issues concerning other countries, it is clear that China needs to adopt a more responsible approach towards sensitive matters if it wants to be seen as a responsible superpower.

Amid the escalated tension on the border and growing anti-China sentiments in India and even worldwide, diplomatic talks between the two nations are scheduled to take place this week. These talks are for the de-escalation and disengagement of troops in Eastern Ladakh.