Neighbourly amity

CPM mouthpiece People’s Democracy splashed out on the Chinese revolution’s 60th anniversary. What stands out, however, is CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat’s article accusing the “lobbies” within India seeking a strategic alliance with the US of working against India-China friendship. He rejects reports of Chinese hostility as “either baseless or highly exaggerated.”

“The rising economic power of the two Asian giants — China and India — is presented as a source of conflict between the two. In strategic terms, China is sought to be pitted against India. Those dominating the world economic order would like nothing better than a relationship of rivalry and conflict between China and India,” he says. He says there is “active lobbying” to buy arms from the US and quotes a Washington Post report which claimed that retired admirals and generals from the US armed forces who now work for defence firms are lobbying to secure defence deals. “The recent efforts to create complications in India-China relations must be seen in this context,” he said.

Can’t beat China

Another article says India should follow the Chinese model of development. “If India and China join hands, they may well dominate the world economy for decades. But India is missing the chance. What do we gain by China-bashing now?” it says. “Today, the Chinese economy, and particularly its manufacturing sector, has grown to such a level that is beyond our comprehension. Most the Indians are unaware of the size of China’s production capacity; and the grumbling that China “is becoming” too strong signifies a delayed understanding. China has already become too strong to be compared with India,” it claims.

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