Two seemingly unrelated events underscore the inconsistency that marks India's strategy to deal with China. One relates to the upcoming visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh, the Indian state bordering Tibet which China would love to incorporate into its territory. And the other is a reported decision to shelve a proposal for an Indian airbase in Mongolia.
New Delhi, which has more often than not treated the Dalai Lama as an appendage from the 1950s and 1960s, seems to have rediscovered some value in him as a subtle ploy against Beijing. In saying that "Arunachal Pradesh is a part of India and the Dalai Lama is free to go anywhere in India," Foreign Minister S M Krishna was a clear signal to China that India would not like to be pushed around over what it considers to be a settled issue of territorial control in Arunachal Pradesh. The sheer symbolism of the Dalai Lama visiting Tawang, a border town, to inaugurate a hospital is powerful and helps reinforce India's control over the region. The strategy seems to be to tell Beijing that not only is New Delhi self-assured in asserting its control over the region, it is equally comfortable in allowing someone whom China considers its nemesis to visit there.
Contrast this with the reported decision to no longer seek an airbase in Mongolia so as not to exacerbate tensions with China. The proposed airbase would have been an effective counter to China's strategy of encirclement around India by helping build ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
One understands that geo-strategy is all about give and take but India betrays diffidence while dealing with China. There is that unspoken reluctance to go the full distance the way China does. In the midst of reported tensions along the border, this may be a good time to reevaluate China policy. In the odd chance that India is deliberately pursuing a seemingly inconsistent policy to confuse China, I can only say wow!
