At a time when the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops at the Dokalam area in the Sikkim sector is continue, a former US diplomat has said that China needs to recognize that India is “a force to be reckoned with.” The diplomat added that the countries in the region are unsettled by Beijing’s behavior.
“China, I think, needs to acknowledge the fact that there is growing strategic and security capability across Asia, and certainly India is a force to be reckoned with,” former Indian-American Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Nisha Desai Biswal said in an interview.
“While I understand that sentiment within China, that I think seeks to try to assert China as a dominant player across the Asia-Pacific, I think China has to content with the fact that across its geography, throughout the Asia-Pacific region, countries are unsettled by its behavior and by its unilateral actions,” she added.
Biswal was Obama Administration’s key person for South and Central Asia during his second term.
“China has more to gain through diplomacy and dialogue than it does through these kinds of actions, which create a great deal of unease and uncertainty,” Biswal said while responding to questions on India-China border stand-off.
The ex-diplomat also added that the US certainly has a role to play in ensuring that the international rules are followed. “Certainly, I think that the US, by standing firm on its commitment towards the rules-based international order and the importance of dialogue and dispute resolution, can signal its own strong preference for these kinds of mechanisms to de- escalate and to resolve differences,” she said.
