India should not miscalculate China's resolve to safeguard territory: analyst
The Chinese embassy in India released a second notice about safety to Chinese citizens in India on Thursday as the Doklam standoff drags on with no sign of ending.
The first safety notice was released on July 7, and in this latest important notice, the embassy warned Chinese nationals to "reduce unnecessary travel in India and leave travel information with family members, colleagues and friends. Keep a low profile, and respect the local laws and law-enforcement personnel."
The latest notice also added that Chinese citizens should be careful of "natural disasters, traffic accidents, infectious diseases and visa expiration problems" in India.
According to Indian media outlets, including the Indian Express and the Hindustan Times, flood disasters and rail accidents in India have killed hundreds of people in August.
"Whether the two notices are for basic information or political purposes, they both indicate that China hopes its citizens would avoid visiting India at this time," Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Only 10 days remain before the BRICS summit opens in Xiamen, Southeastern China's Fujian Province.
"China hopes India can understand China's tolerance and sincerity, and fix the mistake and form a harmonious atmosphere for the summit," said Lin Minwang, a professor at Fudan University's Center for South Asian Studies.
"The window for military action before the BRICS summit is too short, so there might be no direct action in August and early September, but after the summit, China will have no room for tolerance, so we hope India can understand China's sincerity for peace and withdraw its trespassing troops as soon as possible, so we can start negotiations. Otherwise it will be too late," Hu said.
Winter approaching
China Central Television (CCTV) on Wednesday broadcast the most recent footage of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) conducting military drills in a plateau region of the Tibet Autonomous Region on Wednesday.
The drills are being conducted on a plateau more than 4,500 meters above sea level, so the PLA's combat units and personnel can adapt to a low-oxygen environment, CCTV reported.
Zhao Xianfu, a PLA regiment commander involved in the drills, told CCTV that "only strict training in this region can improve our combat capability in a low-oxygen environment, and guarantee that we can win a battle at anytime."
"We hope India makes no mistake in calculating China's determination on safeguarding its territory. Some Chinese scholars believe that the [winter] weather would be a natural excuse for the withdrawal and the tension will be solved naturally. This is absolutely wrong," Hu stressed.
Indian troops have trespassed and remained in Chinese territory for over two months, and if India withdraws its troops because of the cold winter weather, the Doklam Plateau will become a "disputed" region, because China failed to use diplomatic measures or military strength to prove the area is undisputed, Hu added.
"In other words, if the tensions end like this, any of China's neighbors can send troops into Chinese territory and stay for two months, and then claim this territory is a 'disputed' region," Hu noted.
India has an "Enemy Property Law" which targets Chinese and Pakistani individuals and companies in India, and if there is an armed conflict, India is likely to use it to plunder Chinese property, so before China makes decisions to punish India, Chinese companies in India need to be fully prepared and withdraw from India successfully, Lin added.
The Enemy Property Act of 1968, enacted after the India-Pakistan War, gave the Indian government the right to seize assets of Indian nationals who had moved to Pakistan or China following wars with the two countries, Reuters reported.
