Amid the rising US-China tensions over a wide range of issues including coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, China has advised India not to get involved in US-China confrontation. Beijing has said that India should not become a US pawn attacking China in a new Cold War or else India would face a massive economic blow amid COVID-19 pandemic.
“With nationalist sentiment on the rise in India, there have been some voices calling for the Indian government to join the new Cold War and exploit its position for more gains. Such irrational voices are nothing but misleading, which should not represent the mainstream voices and sway the Indian government’s stance. Fundamentally speaking, India has little to gain from engaging in a US-China conflict over any topic, with more to lose than gain, which is why the Modi government needs to face the new geopolitical development objectively and rationally,” said an article published in Global Times, which is a daily tabloid newspaper under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper.
The article added that under the current circumstance, India must not include the US factor in its handling of any problem in its relations with China, otherwise it will complicate the relations between Beijing and New Delhi.
Referrign to the recent China-India border tension, the article said that the offer of US mediation in the issue is unnecessary and both India and China are capable of resolving their problems peacefully. The article asserted that there is no need of a third-party intervention in this matter.
“If in a new Cold War, India leans toward the US or becomes a US pawn attacking China, the economic and trade ties between the two Asian neighbors will suffer a devastating blow. And it would be too much for the Indian economy to take such a hit at the current stage,” said the article.
The article also mentioned about Indian government’s deicsion to lift the nationwide lockdown, noting that though India is yet to flatten the coronavirus cases curve the decision to end the lockdown is understandable, as its economy has been under enormous strain from the lockdown.