Upping the ante on Doklam, the Chinese state media Global Times on Monday said "it is time that India be taught a second lesson" and described national security adviser Ajit Doval as the "main schemer" behind the ongoing standoff.
But is Beijing waging psychological warfare through its media to compel New Delhi to back down without a shot being fired? Brahma Chellaney, a geostrategist and an author, wrote in Japan Times that China’s warmongering has become so “raucous” and “coarse” that, to the casual observer, a Himalayan military conflict may seem imminent. In reality, it's nothing but China’s psychological warfare.
“The crisis, in fact, has highlighted how China blends psychological warfare (“psywar”), media warfare and the manipulation of legal arguments (“lawfare”) to undermine the opponent’s information-control capabilities and to buttress its strategic game plan. Disinformation and deceit are among the tools China is employing in its psywar to tame India without military combat, in Sun Tzu style,” he wrote.
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According to Chellaney, Chinese media organisations, backed by an annual $10 billion budget from the state, have become integral to China’s global propaganda offensive.
“The Chinese state and its media have worked in tandem to feed disinformation as part of the psychological operations (psy-ops)….Chinese propaganda is getting smarter and more targeted, with some in the Indian media lapping up the disinformation, yet Beijing’s mendacity is becoming conspicuous,” he added.
In an opinion piece written by John Gong, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, he says the public patience is running short with India's Doklam transgression, adding that "nothing can stand in the way of China's and Chinese people's dignity."
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The article also says China doesn’t care if the proposed construction of a road in Doklam poses a strategic threat to the "chicken's neck"-- referring to the 27-kilometer-wide Siliguri Corridor to the south of Doklam.
"Chicken's neck or giraffe's neck, who cares? Why would a peaceful China care about the road condition in another country when its only purpose is to improve its own road conditions?," John writes.
John also quoted Liu Youfa, China's former consul general in Mumbai, who had said: "As India continues down this intransigent path...their troops in Doklam could either withdraw voluntarily, be captured or may be killed when border disputes escalate."
He even warned that if Indian troops even entered into Doklam from the China-Sikkim border, "well, if this kind of logic holds, a third country can certainly enter into Kashmir, including India-controlled Kashmir, upon Pakistan's invitation. (This is not a far-fetched idea.)".
In an editorial, the tabloid said Doval is believed to be one of the "main schemers" behind the current border standoff between Chinese and Indian troops, adding that the Indian media was pinning high hopes on the trip to settle the ongoing dispute.
Ahead of Doval’s visit to China to attend the BRICS Summit, the editorial said: “The BRICS National Security Advisers' meeting is a routine conference held in preparation for the BRICS summit, and is not a platform to address Sino-Indian border skirmishes.”
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"Doval will inevitably be disappointed if he attempts to bargain with Beijing over the border disputes. India's unconditional withdrawal is China's bottom line. The Chinese government's strong determination requesting Indian troop's withdrawal is backed by all Chinese people who are firm that we can't lose one inch of Chinese territory," it added.
