Post Covid, Time For India To Grab China's Chi

In  last fortnight, Philippines has filed two diplomatic protests against China over violations of international law and attack on Philippine sovereignty. In first instance, a Filipi Navy ship was harassed by a Chinese warship. In second, China set up two ministrative districts in contested Spratly and Paracel islands - in a territory claimed by Philippines as part of West Philippine Sea.

Last Friday, four Chinese coast guard ships sailed into Japanese waters around Senkaku littoral in East China Sea that China claims as its own - calling m Diaoyu islets. This was seventh such transgression this year, prompting Tokyo to lodge strong diplomatic protests with Beijing. sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel earlier this month by a Chinese frigate in South China Seas was part of a series of such aggressive acts by Chinese that according to Vietnamese Coast Guard authorities have damd or sunk over two dozen small and medium naval assets. matter was serious eugh for Vietnam to raise in United Nations, as also for Philippines to join in protest.

Amid all this, speaking at an ASEAN summit on April 24, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised issue of a scientific report on Beijing's upstream dam operations that have unilaterally altered flows of Mekong river, causing a drought-like situation in riparian nation-states of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Australia tasted pungency of Chinese diplomacy last week after Australian Prime Minister called for an investigation into origins of Covid from Wuhan. India has h similar concerns about China tinkering with flow of Brahmputra in its journey through Tibet as Tsangpo.

Essentially, while world has been busy fighting Covid pandemic with its back to wall, Spreer-in-chief China has been breathing fire in its neighbourhood - hoping to collect Dragon Scroll like Tai Lung of Kung Fu Panda from valley of peace. In this case international waters from Japan to Philippines to Malaysia and of course most contested South China Seas.

ongoing Chinese bullying reminds of an abrasiveness that was last shown perhaps by United States of America at peak of ir power immediately after end of cold war. Americans could at least put a veneer of ideology and idealism fresh from a victory over Communism. In case of China its unulterated resource grab.

Militarily, re is only that much that world can do. US has sent a couple of warships through Taiwan Straits. India has supplied patrol boats to Vietnam, as also refurbished it's Petya class Russian frigates over last few years. Yet, as we watch much of West lose its commanding civilizational heights to pandemic, much more needs to be done to make sure that China does t become new Globocop.

Japan has hinted at how it can be done. Of US dollar one trillion pandemic stimulus pack, it has marked two billion dollars only to assist corporations that might want to shift ir facilities out of China. re is a reason why Italy was first big Covid sufferer out of China - it gleefully participated in Belt and Ro project of Xi Jinping, and hence found itself at nerve centre of a massive Chinese supply chain that spres from Wuhan to Lisbon. Goes without saying, Europe too would recalibrate between what it sees as a Panda hug, but can equally be Dragon fire. In case of America, an alrey combative Trump ministration might scale up its contain-China strategy.

way things stand, India seems to have mand to stay ahe of curve in controlling pandemic. If mix of zone-specific lockdowns and reasonable relaxations can keep our numbers of infections and deaths below that of China by time Covid has subsided, for a nation once described as a 'functioning anarchy' by a US diplomat, it would be mean achievement. India has a real chance to claim a leership role in world.

re are a couple of policy stimulations that are immediately needed on uptake - land and labour reform. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tried his hands at both with limited success. An industry-friendly land law was in fact one of first few policy initiatives of Modi in his first term in which he burnt his fingers due to opposition intransigence. Leaving it to States has t delivered intended results. Ditto for labour reforms that have been piecemeal at best.

While Nirmala Sitharaman stitches sectoral stimulus packs, and Reserve Bank gives fortnightly liquidity placebos, thing would work like a hardsed revisiting of land and labour reforms. Taken toger, various national governments and international organizations have anunced stimulus packs to tune of over US dollars 10 trillion alrey. If we can attract even one per cent of this, it comes to 100 billion dollars - more than entire FDI of last dece! As world changes gears for post-Covid drive, India has an opportunity of a lifetime to take wheel.