India needs to address China’s expansionist policies: Jurist Ved Nanda

Chandigarh : International jurist Prof Ved P Nanda of Denver University expressed grave concern at the manner in which China has been aggressively pursuing expansionist policies, economically and territorially, which, he said, needed to be addressed urgently. He said this while delivering the 22 nd annual lecture of the Panchanad Research Institute at Panjab University on Monday.

He said that since both India and China are potential superpowers in the region, it was imperative that India engages China diplomatically, commercially and culturally.

Prof Nanda, who has been a John Evans University Professor at the University of Denver and Professor of Law and Director of the International Legal Studies Programme at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, suggested that India, in tune with its cultural and historical heritage, should diplomatically use “soft power” to increase its influence in the region and wield a small stick as well to dispel the impression of being a soft state.

He said India had never demonstrated expansionist tendencies in its foreign policy.

“Our culture in which mottos like universal brotherhood and well-being of entire humanity have been the cornerstones, should become the language of our diplomacy and foreign policy to increase our influence on foreign lands,” he added.

Without compromising its cultural values, India needed to balance its interests in the region. For instance, he said, as China has been deploying a large number of surveillance ships in the Indian Ocean and making territorial gains in the POK, India should counter it firmly to re-assert its position.

“We could be partners with China on some grounds, yet be rivals with it to gain political influence in the region,” Prof Nanda stated.

Commenting on the FDI controversy, he said, it was for India to decide what should be the limit to the FDI in retail and how did it regulate and monitor the foreign investments.

“But you cannot shut your doors on it. Globalisation is like a juggernaut which cannot be stopped. It is for the country to decide how to respond to it,” he added.

In his presidential address Dr Chandan Mitra, MP, said India’s relations with all countries in the neighbourhood had worsened over the years. India was fast losing its advantage of being a big nation in the region. He said the Indian Ocean would be the next place of contention between India and China and added that sources of energy were likely to be the flash points in days to come.

Shyam Khosla, chairman of the Panchnad Research Institute, called upon the nation to be prepared for a prolonged war of attrition with China and Pakistan.