Bitter-sweet welcome for Manohar Parrikar in China

Parrikar being received by his Chinese counterpart Gen Chang Wanquan (PTI)

State media terms India wannabe "beautiful woman"

The Chinese media plays by its government's rules. While the Chinese government rolled out the red carpet for India's defence minister Manohar Parrikar, a state-run newspaper sought to make things a little nasty by comparing India with a woman being courted by many suitors, particularly the US and Russia.

The distasteful story in Global Times titled Indo-US strategic distrust stalls LSA signing, in effect, expressed China's irritation and fear over India-US bonhomie. "The basic idea is that India would like to continue to be the most beautiful woman wooed by all men, notably the two strongest in the house, US and China," says the piece. This sexist bilge betrays a superior military power's nagging fear: What if it loses India to the US? Strongman Beijing, after all, is insecure. It's trying desperately to keep India on his side, taking recourse to every possible tactic — welcoming at times, sarcastic on other occasions.

In order to maintain its stranglehold in South Asian matters, Beijing, in search of allies, is aggressively courting all countries in the region.

Parrikar was given a ceremonial welcome before his ?meeting with his Chinese counterpart General Chang Wanquan at the People's Liberation Army (PLA) headquarters in Beijing on Monday. Apparently, Global Times' view is in contrast with the Chinese foreign office's reaction to the announcement of in-principle agreement on military logistic support between India and the US last week. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang then told reporters in Beijing. "We have noted relevant reports on US Defence Secretary Ash Carter's visit to India". Lu further said that "India is also an influential country in the world, and India has been upholding an independent diplomatic policy. India will make up its diplomatic policies based on its own interests."

But, this could be just another round of China blowing hot and cold with India.

Reacting to the above report, a senior functionary in India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) pointed out that what appeared in the press is not the official position of the Chinese government. Parrikar is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising the defence secretary, director general of military operations, western Naval commander, and air force vice chief.

During his talks with the Chinese officials, Parrikar raised the issue of China blocking India's bid in the United Nations to get Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar declared as terrorist following the organisation's role in the January attack on the Pathankot air base. India also sought Chinese help to unravel the conspiracy of ISIS which wants to spread its tentacles in the sub-continent and asked for details of the 'chat conversation' that an alleged Islamic State recruit from Maharashtra had with his handlers in Syria and Iraq.

The NIA has sent Letters Rogatory to China requesting for the chat details of Areeb Majeed, arrested by the anti-terror agency in December 2014, with his handlers, official sources said today.

Majeed allegedly used 'WeChat' messaging service to interact with his handlers and the server was located in China.

Indian and Chinese officials, meanwhile, also discussed the border management dispute and the possibility of a new border personnel meeting point along the Line of Actual Control in order to ensure stability along a vast area of undemarcated border between the two countries.

(Source : dnaindia.com)

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