INDIA’S diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing after China picked a PLA soldier, who was part of the military command that attacked Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley in 2020, is in line with the hard stance it has adopted against Chinese belligerence.

 

China’s choice of honouring a military commander involved in an unprovoked and bloody clash against India as torchbearer of the Olympics is another outrageous example of dirty politicisation of a sporting event. It must be denounced in the harshest possible manner and India has acted on the same principles to boycott the opening and closing ceremonies of the event.

 

This is another effort by the Chinese Communist leaders to needle India in whatever possible manner. It is again part of the Chinese playbook to deliberately provocate its neighbours and entangle them in a bigger conflict by using military might and also dirty political overtures. Beijing has been doing this with all its neighbours by making false claims on land and even sea routes. The Chinese navy’s blusters in the South China Sea and East China Sea are growing by the day even as their aircraft threaten the sovereignty of Taiwan. India, too, needs to keep its back-up plans open to face the political games of Beijing.