Here it is modified and extended.
Global Times, China's official mouthpiece, has called for an increased Chinese role in South and Southeast Asia. Citing Chinese mediation between Myanmar and Bangladesh over the Rohingya refugees issue, in an article published today, it says that it is imperative that China protects the interests of its organizations with their increasing global footprint across the world, saying that 'Beijing cannot turn a deaf ear to such demands'.
Taking its argument to the next level, the article
further says that China has made huge investments in many countries under its
'One Belt One Road' initiative and therefore it has 'vested interests' to
mediate in regional conflicts including the 'Kashmir dispute between India and
Pakistan'. According to the article, the Chinese experience over the Rohingya
issue should serve as a template for the larger Chinese role in South and
Southeast Asia.
Such provocations by the official media in China are
gradually becoming a trend. Recently, an editorial had suggested that China
should intervene in the Kashmir issue actively after India had declined
illegitimate Chinese demands of clamping down on the Dalai Lama's Arunachal
Pradesh visit. China claims Arunachal Pradesh is South Tibet and even went on
to rename six Arunachal Pradesh cities in maps released by it.
India has made it amply clear that the whole state
of Jammu and Kashmir, including Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) and
Gilgit-Baltistan, is an integral part of India and if there has to be a
dialogue, it has to be bilateral in nature and would focus on Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir
and Gilgit-Baltistan. If the official Chinese media is still hell bent on
advocating increased Chinese mediation in the Kashmir dispute, it should be
construed as an extension of the official Chinese propaganda that tried to
demean India whenever it gets a chance.
A significant part of China's 'One Belt One Road'
passes through PoK where China is making huge investment and which India has objected
to as it is ideally an Indian land.
It also exposes the Chinese double standards.
China's considers Arunachal Pradesh its own territory and therefore disputed
and cannot tolerate even an exiled Tibetan person, even if the person is the Peace
Nobel Laureate, to venture there, whereas it sends an army of its
organizations, workers and, in turn, its forces, in the name of safeguarding
them, to a disputed territory that has historically been a part of India.
Though some reports say that Myanmar has turned down
the offer of Chinese mediation, Myanmar may finally succumb to the Chinese
pressure of meddling into its affairs. China has gradually increased its
investments in Myanmar to a significant level including an oil pipeline through
Myanmar that gives China direct access to crude oil from Middle East and
Africa. The oil pipeline was an important piece of China's 'One Belt One Road'
map.
China may be the world's second largest economy but
its global reputation is still of an autocratic country with an expansive
mindset that is involved in multiple territorial and sea disputes. China's one
party rule has become synonymous with human rights abuses and meddling in
global affairs to protect other autocratic regimes like Syria and North Korea.
©SantoshChaubey
