POREG VIEW: The Indian Prime Minister’s observation was made in the course of a freewheeling interaction with senior editors on Monday, Sept 6. It highlights the frustration in Delhi at the pinpricks from Beijing. At the same time it spotlights a quiet preparedness to address the growing assertiveness of China in South Asia and Indian Ocean. 

So, in a sense, Manmohan Singh has a ‘message of government alive to the situation’ to his domestic audience, and a ‘signal to China’ that 2010 is far removed from the cold, winter months of 1962. Significantly, the media interaction took place just after the Indian economy reported a robust near nine percent growth and put on notice the world that India is fast catching up with China, which has just replaced Japan in the economic pecking order.

The obvious context to Manmohan Speak is the recent reference of Chinese foreign office spokesperson, Jiang Yu, to Jammu and Kashmir as India –controlled Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan as the Northern Area of Pakistan. Interestingly, Jiang’s choice of words to describe the occupied Kashmir went missing from the transcript posted on the Chinese foreign ministry’s website. It is a classic case of censoring one’s own spokesperson.

One way of looking at the Jiang Speak and its aftermath is that there is a signal to Delhi and Islamabad alike- to Delhi not to read too much, and to Islamabad not to do anything directly or indirectly that would disturb peace in Western China bordering POK. 

Delhi may have to live with pinpricks from Beijing, which is in a phase of transition politically while facing unprecedented turbulence on the economic and social fronts.  One thing is sure though. China will not like to ruffle the Indian feathers. At least in the short to medium term. Well, that is the miracle of the market, not of Mao, of course.