Opinion: Why India hit China hard where it mattered the most
After wresting advantage in Pangong Lake area with the occupation of heights on the south bank of the lake in eastern Ladakh, India on Wednesday mounted a fresh strike on Chinese and Chinese-controlled apps. The Telecom and IT ministry banned 118 apps, including PUBG, the world’s most lucrative mobile game, for engaging in activities “prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.”
Earlier, India had banned 106 Chinese apps in retaliation over Chinese aggression in Galwan valley leading to bloody clashes in which 20 Indian jawans were martyred and an undisclosed number of Chinese soldiers were killed. Wednesday’s ban comes in the wake of fresh tension in Pangong Lake area, with the Chinese troops trying to forcibly alter the Line of Actual Control, which was prevented by the Indian army.
By one stroke, India has sent a tough message to China to say that it means business and it will reply to China in its own language. Experts said, China was trying to gather data about Indians through its apps and was also earning money. India has now decided to give lessons to China both on the defence and economic fronts.
Though PUBG mobile game is South Korean, yet it is largely controlled by China’s Tencent Games company which provides all the updated versions for this mobile game. Its server is in China. PUBG is one of the most popular online games in India. The game has been downloaded more than 17.5 crore times. One-fourth of PUBG users are in India. The number of PUBG users rose dramatically during the recent lockdown period, according to Sensor Tower, a data analytics firm. PUBG has made Rs 22,457 crore earnings till date, and compared to last year, its earnings rose this year by 41 per cent, a huge jump. This year, till now, PUBG Mobile has made $1.3 billion (Rs 9731 crore) earnings.
Naturally, China is going to be furious because India has hit it hard where it matters the most. On the defence front, in eastern Ladakh, India TV Defence Editor Manish Prasad has been reporting from Ground Zero. According to him, Chinese troops tried at least thrice to change the status quo of LAC since August 29 nigh. Their efforts to carry out incursions were rebuffed by Indian jawans on August 29, August 31 and September 1. The Chinese generals are predictably angry.
The Chinese PLA is worried over Indian troops occupying Black Top, Helmet Top and Rechang La heights, which are considered to be strategic. At the brigadier level meeting in Chushul on Wednesday, the Chinese side repeatedly asked Indian army to withdraw from these heights, but the Indian army held its ground.
So far, the Chinese officials have made six statements asking Indian troops to withdraw. Their impatience is understandable. Indian army has done the same trick which the Chinese army did while occupying several fingers of Pangong Tso lake. India has made it clear that its operation was not offensive nor was it meant to intimidate the other side. Indian jawans occupying the Black Top is a big success because they can now keep a watch on all Chinese activity across Pangong Lake. The Indian army now wants to dominae Rechen La, 4 km away from Rechang La. It will then be easy to monitor Chinese troops’ activity on the ground.
Overall, the Indian army presently dominates ten vital spots in Ladakh to keep a vigil over Chinese PLA activity. These spots are: Chumar valley, Demkok, Pangong Lake, Depsang, Galwan, Gogra, Hot Springs, Daulat Beg Oldie, Chushul and Rechang La. It is because of the alertness of our jawans that the Chinese army is unable to carry out treacherous incursions. On Tuesday, five to seven Chinese army vehicles tried to enter the Indian side of Chumar valley, but our alert jawans foiled their effort. The Chinese had to return after two hours. Chinese PLA officers have now realized that Indian army is a tough nut to crack, therefore there is no standoff situation at this moment.
Moreover, the Indian army has further strengthened its positions from Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh bordering China, till Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. More battalions of Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Seema Sashastra Bal have been brought in to guard our frontiers.
The world has now realized the duplicitous nature of the Chinese. Whether it is the South China Sea dispute with Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, or the Senkaku islands dispute with Japan, or the Ladakh and Dokalam border disputes with India, the Chinese are known for their treachery. They use force to create artificial islands in the sea to stake claims, or conduct devious incursions on land in Tibet and Dokalam. China’s Big Brother attitude is being resented by most of the South East Asian nations, Australia, Japan and India.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday told Fox News that the “entire world is beginning to unite against China’s unfair practices and countries like India, Australia, Japan and South Korea are going to partner with the US to push back China on every front.”
The Quad group formed between India, Australia, Japan and the US is working to prevent Chinese belligerence in the Asia-Pacific region. The Five Eyes intelligence alliance between the US, Canada, Australia, UK and New Zealand is also trying to help the Quad in reaching its objectives. Ministers from Quad countries are going to meet in person later this month to give a clear signal to China either to behave or face consequences. Time has come to teach China a lesson if it continues to remain belligerent and refuses to behave as a responsible nation.
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