India-China conflict creates agitation in Bangladesh

During the ongoing conflict between India and China, the Indian government has put their Air Force, Navy, and Army on high alert-additional troops have been deployed at every border.  Although Bangladesh is not involved in the conflict, still it is a matter of great worry because Bangladesh has a friendly relationship with both the countries-and many issues are involved directly and indirectly, especially, business, jobs, developments, and even politics.

In a recent video conference among representatives of the Bangladesh government and the Communist Party of China (CPC), China proposed to build Chinese sister cities in Bangladesh. As soon as the news was published in the Indian media, they became concerned. A glimpse of such an offer to Bangladesh-which is India's closest neighbour, surely sets new boundaries for regional diplomacy.

Regarding the recent incident, Beijing has claimed that 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the clashes, but no casualties have been reported from China; although different Indian media reports say that at least 45 Chinese troops have been killed. The statements of the two sides are completely contradictory. Both sides complained that the other side occupied the land and that is why there have been clashes, so the situation is a bit murky and it has been very challenging to identify the exact reason.
Having 4000 feet mountains, the Galwan Valley in Ladakh always carries hostile weather, but the new conflict has taken this area to higher and made it more hostile; and the conflict has already spread throughout almost all Asian countries: especially Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. India has been claiming this disputed area for a long time; on the other hand, China was neither interested to take it seriously nor the country cared about it.

The border clashes between China and India in 1967 and 1975 were followed by bloody clashes in 1962. In 1975, four Indian soldiers were shot dead by the Chinese attack at Arunachal Pradesh. No one was killed after that in the 3,440 km India-China border so far. Still, India is angry for that, but Indian BSF has killed 294 Bangladeshis in the 4,096 kilometers border in the last 10 years, which was confirmed by the Home Minister of Bangladesh to the parliament.

Compared to India-Pakistan border killings and India-Nepal border killings, the hopeless stories of Bangladesh frighten us, although India claims that Bangladesh is their friend. The way India treats their neighbours: Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan, it is completely opposite when the situation appears with China. Disappointingly, the way India treats Bangladesh specifically, it is harsher and more aggressive.

However, let's get back to Ladakh which is now a gunpoint of Asian politics. Regarding the border map, neither of the two countries accepted the cut since the long back, nor they tried to solve this issue seriously. According to Chinese statements, Arunachal Pradesh and some areas of Ladakh were part of the then Chinese Empire that existed in the 18th century. When the British drew a boundary line through the 'Shimla Agreement' in 1913, China never complied, but India has demanded to cross the border several times.

Both China and India improved communication systems in their border areas over the past decade only because of the security issues: China in Tibet and India in southern Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh. From that influence, in Ladakh, both India and China have increased their military strength recently.

Both countries built roads and air bases in these areas; the radar station was set up, troops rallied, war equipment increased and military exercises developed. Guided by the background history and the recent conflict, a belligerent attitude has come forward once again. China has brought bulldozers to the border to block the flow of the Galvan River .

Seeing all the happenings, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh are concerned because many issues are involved here. The business may hamper; political outlines may change, and foreign diplomacy can be trickier. If there is a war, all these countries will be affected somehow. If there is increasing use of deadly weapons in the conflict between the two countries, not only these two but also other countries will be in danger as both India and China have nuclear weapons.

Moreover, India has been the world's largest arms importer for five consecutive years. For the past 20 years, the two countries have not only built their own weapons but also imported arms from the United States, Russia, and Israel. Similarly, China has bought some weapons from Russia, but most of the weapons they produce themselves now. So India, Pakistan, and China have gathered a lot of weapons. On the other hand, Nepal and Bangladesh have a lot of tensions.

Whenever the armed forces of a country approach, there is a political-diplomatic background behind. This is how the BBC noted: In 1947, the Indian government allowed the US Air Force to use six airbases. US forces fought against communist forces inside China. When the Chinese Communist Party recaptured Tibet in 1950, a guerrilla group there fought against China, which was secretly supported by India and the United States. And, the war of 1962 took place in the context of that conflict.

If we look at the news media of India and China, especially in India, it will be quite noticeable that 'Climax' is approaching.There is a lot of talk about identifying China as a hostile country in Indian media. However, India is not getting much importance in the Chinese media, but in both countries, a nationalist aspiration has become quite strong. Tensions are rising in the border areas where the armed forces from the two countries are deployed face to face. So all in all, the situation is quite complicated-the disputed Ladakh border is a hot topic right now.

However, China and India have good relations with countries like Bangladesh in South Asia. This is why Bangladesh does not want to escalate the violence for fear of disturbing peace and stability in the region. Bangladesh has already called these two big neighbours to defuse tensions immediately. Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said, "Both India and China are very close friends of Bangladesh. This is why we want the peaceful coexistence of these two countries. We hope the two countries will resolve their issues through dialogues."
The writer was a Fulbright
TEA Fellow, Montana
State University, USA