MESSAGE, SENT
    Date :03-Jul-2020

india ban_1  H
 
 
 
ALMOST as follow-up of the Government’s decision to ban 59 Chinese apps, including the immensely popular platform TikTok, over security concerns Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi has quit Chinese Twitter-like microblogging website Sina Weibo. Mr. Modi had joined the site a few years ago against the backdrop of increasing warmth in relations between India and China especially after the truce managed post-Doka La stand-off of 2017. However, relations between the two top Asian powers have gone south after the bloody clash in eastern Ladakh which ended with 43 Chinese casualties and 20 Indian soldiers attaining martyrdom. Amid escalation of military stand-off at disputed areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India has delivered a strong message by banning Chinese apps. Now with the PM quitting the Chinese website, the Indian stand is crystal clear -- no more messing up with the New India.
 
 
The symbolism in the Prime Minister’s quitting of Weibo is significant. It is an explicit assertion by the leader of a country that prides itself on the strength of its people’s resolve and great capabilities of its Armed Forces. It also marks a departure from the regular methods and serves as a statement of intent that any further aggression will come with heavy costs. The gesture can be deciphered in many ways, the first and foremost being change in the matrix of New Delhi’s policies for China. By banning highly popular Chinese apps like TikTok, WeChat, SHAREiT, CamScanner, India made the first strike against Chinese business interests. Economic impact of the step cannot be calculated immediately but the concerns raised by China’s state-run ‘Global Times’ effectively sum up the chagrin India has caused in the neighbourhood with the retaliatory step. The new red line was necessary in the present crisis as the nature of Chinese aggression looks treacherous. The Indian Government is trying to de-escalate and disengage at border through talks but the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has done the contrary by amassing two more divisions across the LAC. The Chinese intentions are pretty clear -- engaging India for a long, tense period with an aim to exert pressure on the Government and people during another crisis caused by the Novel Coronavirus. India is closely watching the situation and has responded with troops and weapon deployments mirroring the Chinese
 
High level of military response is part of a bigger gameplan New Delhi has chosen instead of only opting for the diplomatic channels to diffuse border tensions. The alternate response -- of banning Chinese apps, denying work to Chinese firms, cutting down on Chinese goods, capped up by Mr Modi’s exit from China’s official microblogging site -- has lifted the spirits in the country even as the “Boycott Chinese Goods” campaign is getting groundswell of support right from Indian industries to the lowest strata of the society. India’s virtual strike will have its effect on the neighbour at an appropriate time but the way it has stimulated the Indian society is the true gain for the country.
 
India Inc. has stood up solidly behind the Government’s actions, making the criticism from Chinese media as the rallying point to provide alternate goods for the countrymen. Some top companies like JSW Group have pledged to bring down their annual import from China to zero in next few months. This mood is the actual accrual of the Prime Minister’s call to show China its place by becoming self-reliant. The situation at the LAC demands a response. The military part will come into play at a relevant time. Till then it must come through large-scale commercial and economic ramifications. The app ban and cutting down on dependence on Chinese finances is a slow but calibrated and sure step in the right direction. China’s companies must feel the heat of the misadventure its autocratic Government has embarked upon. The ban on Chinese apps is making a point without revenue loss for India. The costs are for China to calculate. India has sent the message.