Using soft power to hardsell spirituality

My article Using soft power to hardsell spirituality appeared in the Edit Page of The Pioneer.

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Prime Minister Modi has been promoting a new term, ‘spiritual neighbourhood’. He used it during his trips to Sri Lanka and more recently to Mongolia to link up with Buddhism. It makes for good diplomacy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invented a new concept in diplomacy, ‘spiritual neighbourhood’. Addressing the Great Hural, the Mongolian Parliament, the Prime Minister affirmed, “I bring the greetings of your 1.25 billion spiritual neighbours. There is no higher form of a relationship; no bonds more sacred than this.”
Mr Modi added, “As in the life of a human being, in the life of a nation, too, few things are as precious as the gift of friendship.” He reminded his Mongolian hosts that “around two thousand years ago, monks from India crossed difficult terrain and long distance to spread the message of Lord Buddha in this enchanting land”.
After a successful visit to China, the Prime Minister could not mention that the spiritual bridge linking India and Mongolia was Tibet. During the 13th century, the Tibetan Lamas from Sakya converted the belligerent Mongol Khans to the pacifist doctrine of Gautama Buddha. Before changing the lives of the steppe men, the Dharma had travelled from the plains of Nalanda to the Roof of the World.
For centuries, Tibet was close to Mongolia (in 1913, both nations, then independent, signed a Treaty of Friendship). In 1932, a year before his death, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama prophetically warned the Tibetans in his testament: “Remember the fate that befell the Mongolian nation when Communists overran the country and where the Head Lama’s reincarnation was forbidden, where property was totally confiscated and where monasteries and religion were completely wiped out. These things have happened, are happening and will happen in the land which is the Centre of Buddhism (i.e. Tibet).”
We know what befell Tibet in 1950. It is a pity that the Prime Minister could not mention the case the Ninth Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa, the head Lama of Mongolia who, in 1959 took refuge in India, where he spent most of his life revitalising the Jonang Buddhist tradition, prevalent in Mongolia. During the last years of his life, he returned to his native country, where he was reinstalled as ‘The Protector of Beings of the North and Leader of all the Buddhist Schools’; he eventually died in Ulaanbaatar in 2012.
The concept of ‘spiritual neighbours’ is exceedingly important for India’s soft power diplomacy. China might be far advanced as far as infrastructure or economy is concerned, but India is the only nation which can take the lead in spiritual matters. Buddhism and yoga are indeed good ambassadors of India’s sacred traditions, which have sustained for thousands of years.
It does not mean that China is not active, even in this field. Here too Beijing wants to be the leader. On October 27, 2014, The Buddhist Channel, a global news platform which provides news on Buddhism, reported that “China lays claims to leadership of the Buddhist World”. New agency Xinhua elaborated: “Hundreds of the world’s Buddhists gathered at an ancient temple in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province to open the World Fellowship of Buddhists’ 27th general conference. …more than 600 representatives from 30 nations and regions were in attendance.”
When it is convenient, communist China believes in the Buddha (and even in the re-incarnation of Buddhist masters). In 1957, on the occasion of the 2500th anniversary of the Buddha’s birth, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, a hardcore communist, brought to India relics of the Great Monk; this pleased Jawaharlal Nehru immensely.
The highlight of the Shaanxi conference (incidentally, it is where Mr Modi met President Xi Jinping, when he recently landed in China) was the speech of the Chinese-selected Panchen Lama, Gyalsten Norbu, who urged Buddhists worldwide to jointly strive for deepened exchange and cooperation. Norbu told the international gathering, “Buddhism has already integrated into the Chinese culture and it is recognised by the Chinese government. For over thousand years Tibetan Buddhism has become the precious gem of the Chinese nation.”
Well, the ‘real’ Panchen Lama, selected by the Dalai Lama 20 years ago, still languishes under house arrest somewhere in China. This is the other side of the coin: While Beijing promotes Buddhism for political reasons outside China, it is banned (or policed) for sections of society, like with the Tibetans. One can understand that, at a time the membership of the communist party is shrinking, hundred million Buddhists could be subversive for the regime in China. Can Buddha be more popular than Karl Marx?
The March trip of Mr Modi to Colombo should also be seen in the context of ‘spiritual neighbours’. While visiting Sri Lanka’s ancient capital Anuradhapura and offering prayers at the sacred Mahabodhi tree, the Prime Minister had noted, “Sri Lanka is where Buddhism has truly flourished.” During his official visit to Japan, the Prime Minister had reminded his hosts, “Buddhism from India has inspired Japan for over a millennium.”
All this is significant at a time when China is trying hard to take the leadership of the Buddhism movement in Asia; with Beijing having a lot of money to invest in ‘soft’ diplomacy, many are tempted. Remember, in November 2012, it was reported that Mr Pushpa Kamal Dahal, ‘Prachanda’, the Nepal Maoist leader, had signed a deal with a shadowy Chinese from Hong Kong, Xiao Wunan, for developing Lumbini, the Buddha’s birthplace. Xiao was to put three billion dollars in the venture. Finally, it did not materialise, but it showed that money was not a problem for the Chinese.
The Dalai Lama has never been able to visit Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka or Myanmar, where tens of millions of Buddhists live — just because Beijing opposes the trips. It was comforting that soon after Mr Modi’s return from Sri Lanka, the Tibetan leader met with a delegation of Sri Lankan Theros (senior monks), to discuss Vinaya, the Buddhist monastic discipline. It is a rather rare occurrence, as the followers of the Buddha rarely ‘exchange’ their views on their respective interpretations of the Buddha’s words. On the occasion, the Dalai Lama reminded his Sri Lankan colleagues: “We are all followers of the same Buddha.”
It was refreshing that New Delhi took the initiative to host a dialogue between Theravada and Tibetan/Himalayan monks of the Nalanda tradition. A long way since November 2011, when before the Global Buddhist Congregation organised by the Ashoka Mission in New Delhi (with an attendance of some 900 monks and nuns from over 40 countries), Beijing objected to the presence of the Dalai Lama at one of the functions. After China threatened to call off the 15th round of the border talks between the Special Representatives, the then Indian Government backed out; both the Prime Minister and President were suddenly too busy to attend. As far as Buddhism and Hinduism is concerned, India should take the lead. It will be a plus in Modi sarkar’s tally.

In Bhutan

In China

In Japan

In Sri Lanka

In Nepal

Buddhist Union – Spiritual Confluence or Geo-Politics?

The Dalai Lama meets senior Sri Lankan Buddhist monks

My article Buddhist Union – Spiritual Confluence or Geo-Politics? appeared in NitiCentral.

Here is the link...

On March 19, an unusual event happened in Delhi.
The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama met with a delegation of Sri Lankan Theros (senior monks), to discuss about Vinaya, the Buddhist monastic discipline. It is a rather rare occurrence, as the followers of the Buddha rarely ‘exchange’ their views on their respective interpretations of the Buddha’s words.
The Dalai Lama told his Sri Lankan colleagues: “We are all followers of the same Buddha. At a time when scientific minded people are expressing some doubts about religion, many of them are expressing an interest in aspects of the Buddha’s teachings.” The Tibetan leader added: “To think of yourself as different from them, as someone special, is to create distance and a barrier between yourself and others, which can lead to isolation and loneliness.”
It is unfortunately what has happened between the different Buddhist schools over the years (or perhaps centuries). The Sri Lankan monks who attended the meet, were the heads of the three principal traditions of Sri Lanka: the Ramanya, Shiyam and Amarapura Nikayas; the President of the Mahabodhi Society was also present. The spokesman of the Sri Lankans later explained their presence in Delhi: “We discussed the Vinaya all day. We compared the Theravada and Mulasarvastivada traditions, which are the Vinaya traditions of Sri Lanka and Tibet respectively, and found no significant differences between them.”
During their meeting with the Dalai Lama, the Theros expressed the unanimous wish to see him in Sri Lanka soon.
This religious happening has however some strong political connotation and it is a direct outcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Sri Lanka.
In Colombo, Mr Modi affirmed: “Sri Lanka is where Buddhism has truly flourished.” Later, he paid a visit to Sri Lanka’s ancient capital Anuradhapura and offered prayers at the sacred Mahabodhi tree. It was a strong gesture, especially as he was accompanied by the Sri Lankan President, Maithripala Sirisena. Both spent 30 minutes at the Mahabodhi tree temple and performed some special Buddhist rituals.
Already during his official visit to Japan, the Prime Minister had reminded his hosts: “Buddhism from India has inspired Japan for over a millennium.”
This is important at a time when China tries hard to take the leadership of the Buddhism movement in Asia.
On October 27, 2014, The Buddhist Channel, a global news platform which provides news on Buddhism, reported ‘China lays claims to Leadership of the Buddhist World’.
Xinhua elaborated: “Hundreds of the world's Buddhists gathered at an ancient temple in northwest China's Shaanxi Province to open the World Fellowship of Buddhists' 27th general conference. Congregating around a relic said to contain one of the Buddha's finger bones at the Famen Temple in Baoji City, more than 600 representatives from 30 nations and regions were in attendance.”
When it is convenient, Communist China believes in the Buddha (and in the reincarnation of Buddhist masters); already in 1957, on the occasion of the 2500th anniversary of Gautam Siddharth’s birth, Zhou Enlai, the Chinese Premier (and hardcore Communist), brought ‘back to India’ some relics of the Great Monk.
Dr Kalinga Seneviratne, who, in October, attended the WFB in Shaanxi on behalf of the German Dharmadutta Society delegation from Sri Lanka, praised China: “Though not officially acknowledged, China is today home to between 200-300 million Buddhists thus making it the country with the world’s largest Buddhist population. The restored grand Buddhist temples in Baoji and in close by Xian, and the impressive Buddhist cultural display at the opening ceremony of the WFB meeting if is anything to go by, it indicates that Chinese Buddhism has undergone a remarkable revival.”
Beijing always finds sycophants to support its claims and eulogize China’s ‘correct’ attitude.
The highlight of the conference was the speech of the Chinese-selected Panchen Lama, Gyalsten Norbu who urged Buddhists worldwide to jointly strive for deepened exchange and cooperation and work together to boost environmental protection and safeguard world peace. Norbu told the international gathering: “Buddhism has already integrated into the Chinese culture and it is recognized by the Chinese government. For over thousand years Tibetan Buddhism has become the precious gem of the Chinese nation.”
Of course, there is another side to the coin: while Buddhism is promoted for ‘political reasons’ outside China, it is banned for entire sections of the society inside the country.
One can understand: 200 or 300 million ‘official’ Buddhists could be very subversive for the regime. Today, the membership of the Communist party is a small percentage of these figures, how could Buddha be more popular than Karl Marx in the Middle Kingdom?
Till the recent meet between the Sri Lankan monks and the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist tradition (known as the Nalanda tradition) has had very few contacts with the Theravada School or Hinayana, which is prevalent in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand or Laos. It is quite regrettable.
For political reasons (Beijing’s pressure), the Dalai Lama has never been able to visit Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar or even Bangladesh where a tiny Buddhist minority of Buddhist’s lives.
Sri Lanka’s Modi initiative is most welcome; the time has indeed come for Dharamsala to create a South Asian Bureau for Buddhists Affairs to facilitate a Buddhist Union. A delegation of respected (Tibetan or Indian) Buddhist figures should at the earliest visit the South Asian capitals and start establishing contacts with local Buddhists.
With the strong support of the Modi Sarkar, it should not be impossible.
In this perspective, it was refreshing that New Delhi took the initiative to host a dialogue between Theravada Theros and Tibetan/Himalayan monks of Nalanda tradition on some aspects of the Vinaya. It was a first exchange since decades.
The Vinaya dialogue was organised by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC). It was a long way since November 2011, when before the Global Buddhist Congregation (GBC), organized by the Ashoka Mission in New Delhi (with an attendance of some 900 monks and nuns from over 40 countries), Beijing objected to the presence of the Dalai Lama in one of the functions. After China threatened to call off the 15th round of the border talks between the Special Representatives, the then Indian government backed out: both the Prime Minister and President were suddenly too ‘busy’.
Interestingly, the Sri Lankan and ‘Nalanda’ delegations informally met over tea at the residence of Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, a native of Arunachal Pradesh. The most respected Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, a former prime minister of the Central Tibetan Organization was present for the occasion.
This current dialogue should definitely be extended to other Buddhist countries of the region.
And there is no reason why a country which treats its religious minorities so badly, should take the leadership of the Buddhist movement in Asia. The problem is that Beijing has a lot of money to invest in ‘soft’ diplomacy and many are tempted.
Tail End: It is regrettable that Amartya Sen could not understand that it was one of roles of the Nalanda University to organize such fruitful dialogues.

Rajaspksa played for China, ignored India

My article Rajaspksa played for China, ignored India appeared in NitiCentral

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On September 25, when asked about the docking of one Chinese submarine in Colombo, Col. Geng Yansheng, the spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said that it was a 'routine' affair.
Defending the move, Geng explained that the sub had visited Colombo Port on September 15 for ‘a regular port call for replenishment of supplies’. He added that it was ‘an escort mission to the Gulf of Aden and Somalia’.
This was nonetheless the first time that a Chinese submarine ‘openly’ visited a foreign port.
Ecns.cn, a Chinese English-language website admitted that the visit had triggered speculation (in Delhi) that the Chinese Navy wanted to boost its strength in the Indian Ocean.
On January 8, the situation drastically changed with the results of the presidential elections which saw the end of the nine-year rule of Mahinda Rajapaksa over the Island. Before the fateful day, Rajapaksa was widely seen as the great favorite for his own succession. But following a record turnout of 81.5%, the people of Sri Lanka elected Maithripala Sirisena with 51.3% of the votes; he had earlier served as health minister in the Rajapasksa Cabinet.
Amid the rumor of a coup attempt by Rajapaksa’s clan (who denied any foul play), Sirisena was hastily sworn-in as the new head of the state on January 9. He immediately appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister.
Rajapaksa had no choice but to ‘bow down to the people’s verdict’.
The great looser of the elections was Communist China which ironically does not believe in democracy.
Prime Minister Wickremasinghe soon declared that the new government “will take an even-handed approach and balance its relations with the two friendly neighbors China and India.”
In an interview with NDTV, he stated that his government will redress the pro-China tilt of the previous regime, admitting: “President Rajapaksa's regime tried to play China against India and India against China but it came a cropper."
Beijing had invested some $6 billion in Sri Lanka, mostly in strategic infrastructure projects such as ports and airports. Wickremesinghe announced that his government would particularly review the Colombo Port City project, launched during last year’s visit of President Xi Jinping to the Island: “Because we have not yet seen the feasibility study and the environment impact assessment. I asked when I was with the opposition, in Parliament, but the government didn't help. Therefore we will have to look into the environmental and feasibility aspects," he stated.
In the meantime, Reuters reported that in December 2014, Sri Lanka had expelled the Colombo station chief of India's intelligence agency, accusing him of organizing the opposition to oust Mahinda Rajapaksa. It was alleged that Delhi would have helped convincing Maithripala Sirisena to quit the cabinet and run against Rajapaksa, resulting in the present political swing (which sends China out of orbit).
The rumor of India’s ‘help’ was denied by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman. Whether it is true or not, the result of the elections is good for India, and specially for the Tamil population who sees some hope of fresh dialogue on the various issues plaguing the relations with Sri Lanka.
Reuters rightly analyzed: “[India’s] concern turned to alarm late last year when Rajapaksa allowed two Chinese submarines to dock in Sri Lanka without warning New Delhi as he should have under a standing agreement.”
It was undoubtedly the turning point.
Beijing was quick to put up a brave face. The Global Times reported: “Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has promised continued cooperation with China during his meeting with the Chinese ambassador. …Sri Lanka is willing to further strengthen bilateral pragmatic cooperation in various fields for mutual benefits and win-win results.”
The friendly relations between China and Sri Lanka have withstood the test of time, would have added Wickremesinghe. There is no doubt about that, but things will not be as easy as before for China and Beijing is aware of this.
On January 20, the same Global Times commented: “Observers say this [the result of the elections] poses challenges to the Sino-Sri Lankan ties and particularly to the mega projects planned by the two sides,” admitting: “The Chinese side will suffer heavy losses if the $1.5 billion project that started in September is halted. Given similar cases in Myanmar, this has triggered many concerns domestically.”
Beijing’s mouthpiece concluded: “These uncertainties may prove true …but they are not necessarily subversive for a China-Sri Lanka relationship that is built on a sound practical basis and can transcend the power shift.”
The large number of articles carried by Beijing during the last few days shows China’s nervousness; another piece argues: “Competition between China and India in Sri Lanka is not exclusive or confrontational.”
But the real issue is China’s Maritime Silk Road (MSR) for which Beijing had planned to make Sri Lanka “a shipping hub on the Indian Ocean”.
During a visit to Delhi in February 2013, Chinese Special Representative Yang Jiechi had conveyed to his Indian counterpart, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon an invitation for India to join the MSR, Xi Jinping’s new baby.
Officially, the objective of the MSR and its sister project, the New Silk Road were: “To integrate all kinds of ongoing cooperation especially cooperation on connectivity in the spirit of (ancient) silk road.”
Though it was not said openly, the MSR was clearly a tool to counter the influence of India and the United States in Asia.
For Delhi, the MSR was a ‘soft’ scheme hiding a far more assertive action: the establishment of a broad network of Chinese military bases and commercial facilities along important sea lines of communication extending from the Chinese mainland to Africa. India was (and is) seriously concerned by the strategic bases in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh and the Maldives.
Interestingly, The Global Times commented: “As to whether China has been too aggressive in pushing investment in Sri Lanka, the answer will lie in the development of the bilateral relationship in future years. As long as political development in Colombo is logical, China's investment will not be in vain.”
Beijing is aware of the new tilt towards Delhi; yet in another article, The Global Times asserts: “India is a proud nation, competitive and unwilling to lag behind. So it is eager to challenge China in every aspect, from aerospace, military force, to economic strength,” adding that “democracy, which the nation is so proud of, has become a burden for development. For example, building a railway in India takes much more time than it does in China.”
It may be true, but democracy has spoken in Sri Lanka, and the years to come will hopefully witness a more balanced approach from Colombo towards India.
Though it may take time, let us hope that a similar outcome will one day happen in Nepal.

In Chinese blood, there is no DNA for aggression or hegemony?

General Xu Qiliang signing a defence agreement in Colombo

The day after Chinese nationals were violently attacked in Vietnam, President Xi Jinping stated: "In Chinese blood, there is no DNA for aggression or hegemony."
That is nice to hear.
Xi was addressing a function marking the 60th anniversary of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
Analysts related his remarks to the dispute with Hanoi regarding the setting up of an oil rig in the South China Sea.
But China’s DNA is not unicolour.
At the same time, General Fang Fenghui, the PLA’s Chief used a threatening tone during a press conference with his US counterpart General Martin Dempsey in Washington; he affirmed: “the US Asia pivot had inflamed tensions in the South China Sea”, adding that “some neighbouring countries were using the [US] policy as a pretext for provocations.”
Though President Xi had just explained: “Chinese people do not accept the logic that a strong country must also be hegemonic,” General Fang vowed that China would never ‘lose an inch of its territory’.
Does Fang have different DNA than Xi?
No, Xi and Fang's remarks belong to one single Chinese DNA!
It is called the Chinese Art of Diplomacy …and War.
A few days later, Hua Chunying, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman expressed China's willingness to work with India's new government to promote the two countries' bilateral partnership. That’s the ‘good’ DNA!
She said: “China has always attached great importance to ties with India. …China and India are friendly neighbors, and the current relations between the two countries are maintaining a good momentum.”
A day earlier, one of the senior most PLA officers, General Xu Qiliang, a member of the Communist Party’s Politburo and vice chairman of the all-powerful Central Military Commission left for a tour of three Asian countries, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Interestingly, for his visit to India’s two strategic neighbours, General Xu was accompanied by Maj. Gen. Diao Guoxin, the political commissar of the PLA Tibet Military Command.
What was General Diao, whose troops face India in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, doing in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka?
In Dacca, bdnews24.com reported that the Chinese delegation signed four military agreements with Bangladesh ‘to enhance Dhaka’s defence capabilities’.
Under these agreements signed with the Bangladesh Armed Forces and the Bangladesh University of Professionals, China will provide military support to Bangladesh’s armed forces and train its military personnel. Beijing will also help setting up a language laboratory. And of course, all these will be free of charge.

General Xu Qiliang in Bangladesh

Bangladesh top defence brass, including Maj. Gen. Tarique Ahmed Siddique, the Prime Minister’s Security Adviser; General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, the Army Chief, Admiral M. Farid Habib, the Naval Chief; Air Marshal Muhammad Enamul Bari, the Air Force Chief attended the function.
Tarique explained that Bangladesh and China have similar history, culture and traditions, adding that the two countries have had close cooperation and exchanges in the fields of politics, economy and culture.
The Security Adviser hoped that the two militaries could consolidate and deepen pragmatic exchanges and cooperation in all fields.
General Xu Qiliang asserted that China and Bangladesh are friendly neighbors (is not India in between??), and the people of the two countries have had a history of friendly contacts for thousands of years; a fact which may surprise you, if you still believe that Bangladesh was born in 1971.
The fact that the Chinese delegation appreciated Dacca’s firm support to Beijing’s policy vis-à-vis Taiwan, Xinjiang and Tibet, probably explains Maj. Gen. Diao Guoxin’s presence.
Let us not forget that according to the Sweden-based think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), during the last five years, China has been the largest supplier of arms to Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently announced that two Chinese submarines would be inducted in the Bangladesh Navy by 2015, while two new frigates (Abu Bakar and Ali Haider) also from China were commissioned in March this year.
The visit to Sri Lanka was more discreet, probably because the results of the Indian elections were going to be out by the time General Xu left Dacca.
It is certainly an indirect Chinese reaction to Modi’s election as Prime Minister of India. For three days, not a word about the Sri Lanka’s visit in the Chinese press, including specialized publications like The PLA’s Daily.
A friend of mine joked: ‘here is a new Flight 370 affair’; Xu seems to have disappeared from the radar from the time he left Dacca. Has Xu (the first Air Force officer to make it as a vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission) crashed in the Bay of Bengal?
Now, finally on May 19, Beijing announced that the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had met with Xu Qiliang on May 16. But it is a clear indicator that Beijing did not want to negatively attract the attention the new Government in Delhi. For sure, Beijing will thread more carefully with Modi’s government than with the Congress’.
The Sri Lankan President expressed Sri Lanka’s gratitude to China for its long-term strong support and help and assured Xu that Sri Lanka will adhere to the friendly policy towards China, firmly upholding the ‘One-China’ policy.
According to a communique from Colombo, Xu also met Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary in the Ministry of Defence on the same day and three important ‘agreements of mutual cooperation’ were signed. Gotabaya Rajapaksa expressed Sri Lanka’s sincere appreciation for the financial and material support extended by the Chinese Government for several projects under the Defence portfolio.
General Xu Qiliang answered that the "sincere mutual assistance and friendship from generation to generation is the reality of the bilateral ties between China and Sri Lanka”. He noted that the challenges faced by Sri Lanka were due to the strategic concerns of other nations rather than the actual human rights situation of the island.
But that is not all in India’s neighbourhood.
General Chang Wanquan, China’s defense minister paid a visit Laos and Myanmar around the same dates. In Myanmar, the ‘goodwill’ visit was at the invitation of Wai Lwin, the Burmese defense minister.
Very little news has filtered out so far about Chang’s visit.
On the western front, the all-weather friend is always ready to work with Beijing. Islamabad is presently organizing a joint drill with the Chinese Air Force; code-named ‘Shaheen (Eagle)-3’, it is held at the Rafiqui airbase in the northeastern province of Punjab.
But this too has been rather discreet.
China is probably aware that India has changed its DNA, dropping the old Nehruvian ones.
Narendra Modi could, without hesitation, say: "in the Indian blood, there is no DNA for aggression or hegemony, but India will not lose an inch of its territory.”
Sensing that the new acquired Indian DNA may resemble the Chinese, Beijing apparently may force Beijing to accept the logic that even a strong country cannot always be hegemonic, there is a price to pay. This was demonstrated when China had to evacuate thousands of its nationals from Vietnam.