hyping definition
hyping the China threat. The widespread coverage of the “new normal” in Taiwan and the continuing militarization of the Taiwan Strait during and after the Asia visit of former U.S. House Speaker ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ in August 2022 have further highlighted China’s dangerous intimidation of democracies in the region. The rather real possibilities of a Taiwan emergency arising out of ▇▇’s need for forced reunification and its claims over the entirety of the South China Sea have also alerted the Indo-Pacific partners to be prepared for a regional crisis in the near future. Yet, somehow, Himalayan concerns have been overshadowed by China’s maritime threats and are often seen by the West as a result of the bilateral fight between India and China. It is this aspect that Indian diplomacy needs to course correct. The China-India boundary dispute is indeed a bilateral affair and the West should not interfere in the negotiation process or have a say. However, as the West is perturbed about China’s military adventurism in the South China Sea, it should also be concerned about China’s military adventurism in the Himalayan region, moreso maybe given its technological superiority here. The Himalayan region certainly needs greater international awareness and interest in both the public domain and among lawmakers/policymakers, in the U.S. Congress and the European Parliament (in the West) for instance. India, on its part, needs to develop a parity of understanding with the West, and vice-versa, on how to question China internationally on its military activism across the Himalayan region that reiterates China’s image as a radical revisionist power with unilateral hegemonic interest. The recent recognition of Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of Indian territory by the United States has strengthened India’s and in turn the partners’ hand against China. The bipartisan Senate resolution has also condemned China’s unilateral attempts to change the status quo along the LAC. More such collaborative actions are the need of the hour. The EU needs to take strong note of such developments if it aims to find strategic compatibility with India, bilaterally and regionally, in the Indo-Pacific. In short, through its aggressive economic, psychological, diplomatic, and military tactics across the region from the Himalayas to the Indo-Pacific maritime regions, China is only intent on upending the liberal global order with a Sino-centric model. China’s commitment to “peaceful co-existence” is empty rhe...