When Modi and Jaishankar met the US Congressional delegation, the gloves came off. The speculation by some on social media that the delegation had gone rogue with their statements was settled and New Delhi's approval of the visit was for all to see.
Kewalramani says that India is playing a high-risk game now considering China too holds levers against India.
“Even as India has been shifting its policies regarding China since 2020, it has done so very carefully. India does not speak about Xinjiang. India is very cautious about Taiwan and has issued very cautious and few statements in recent years. So, India's actions with China are very calculated. These moves regarding Tibet with the United States, however, mark a shift to a high-risk approach,” says Kewalramani.
Even as the United States is on the same page for now with India on Tibet, there are doubts in some quarters whether that's going to last. Singh, the China scholar at BHU, highlights that the United States backed India on China and Tibet in 1950-60s but it petered out by 1970 and the United States was on the other side entirely in 1970s.
“The US policy on Tibet has been patchy, but now that China is the main US adversary, which is also the case with India, the two countries may have much more lasting convergence than in the 1950-60s on Tibet as the Tibet Card can be part of the broader efforts to contain China,” says Singh.
As far as the policy shift's risks are considered, Singh tells Firstpost that being risk-averse has not paid India over the years. He argues that the more anyone accommodates China, the more belligerent China becomes. Citing the case of the failed Western bet on bringing China into the World Trade Organization (WTO) and legitimising it internationally with the hope that it would liberalise the country, Singh says softness with China has never paid off.
“India has always been reactive with China. It has never been proactive. Even as there has been a shift in the past few years, India is still not properly proactive. But there is at least much more sharpness in the reactions now. The hope is that this will evolve into a proactive policy. As for the risks, you need to take risks. Otherwise, you don't even have a chance at making gains,” says Singh. (Northlines Webdesk- Courtesy: Firstpost.com)
