China is emerging as a major “loudmouth” of Asia

China would never match the erstwhile Soviet Union; forget about emerging as a world-power. The United States of America always needs a rival to compare its prowess and for that reason they first hype-up a potential adversary and then go all out and demolish it. China is too dumb to understand this simple superpower game. Its foreign exchange reserves are a gift from America. China’s intemperate statements against India in recent days are hilarious at best, stupid at worst! Just read a column in The Times of India by Indrani Bagchi on Thursday, June 18, 2009, “Why China is mad at India”. She quotes China’s Global Times as follows:

“India has long held contradictory views on China. Another big Asian country, India is frustrated that China’s rise has captured much of the world’s attention. Proud of its “advanced political system,” India feels superior to China. However, it faces a disappointing domestic situation, which is unstable compared with China’s.”

“India likes to brag about its sustainable development, but worries that it is being left behind by China. China is seen in India as both a potential threat and a competitor to surpass. “But India can’t actually compete with China in a number of areas, like international influence, overall national power and economic scale. India apparently has not yet realized this.”

The above statements could come out of a banana republic like Pakistan or a country that does not know how to communicate in English. If however, we take these jokers at their words, a statement like, “advanced political system” is like Greek to the Chinese crowd. What are they talking about? China has no political system; it is a repressive dictatorship, for crying out loud! It has no political history, no political parties, and no political institutions and for God sake, not even a written constitution. What political system is the Globes Times talking about? Let me remind my dumb neighbors, when Indira Gandhi performed a surgery on Pakistan in 1971, The United States of America, China and Pakistan watched the whole show like three monkeys. China had its chance to create some minor mischief at that time. India was a basket case in those days and had a bunch of jokers running the show. This is not the same India, just try something and you would get a fitting reply.

America has always been a self-serving friend!

India is probably the only major country in the world that has never ever gone to war with the United States of America. India is the largest democracy on the face of this earth and America is the oldest democracy in the world. Yet, both have remained as ‘Estranged Democracies’ for the better part of the last 60 years. Does it make sense? Having lived in the United States for the past 20 years or more I understand why these two democracies can not get along. Just watch the US Congress in session and listen to a Democratic Senator like Barbara Boxer, she talks like Bindra Karat of CPI (M). Both appear intellectually challenged! Republican congressman Dan Burton does even better, he is an unapologetic ‘Khalistan’ supporter. If you have friends like these who needs enemies. President Barack Obama is not much better!

What really rattled my cage was the appearance of a some articles on India’s acquisition of a few US arms and equipment. The latest article proclaims, “US Clears Military Deal with India”, by Louise Radnofsky in The Wall Street Journal dated March 18, 2009. Reuters had explained the deal yesterday as, “President Barack Obama’s administration has cleared a $2.1 billion sale to India of eight Boeing Co P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, the largest US arms transfer to India to date”. Reading this piece gives the impression as if India was receiving some kind of military aid from the generous and benevolent United States of America. The fact is that India is paying hard cash for some long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft that it could have bought from several European or Russian suppliers. Where is the generosity here?

This was not bad enough and so The Times of India reports on March 17, 2009, “US freezes engine supply, Navy in a fix”. It further explains, “The Navy was all set to launch sea trials of the first of the three Shivalik-class stealth frigates being built at Mazagon Docks (MDL) when it got a rude shock on learning the new Obama administration had directed American company General Electric (GE) to stop all work on the gas turbine engines which power the warships.” This episode has put a big question mark on US as a reliable long-term defense supplier. New Delhi and Washington are yet to resolve their differences over a contentious End-Use Monitoring Agreement (EUMA) which requires periodic ‘onsite physical verification’ by an American inspector. Can you imagine India demanding the same right if tables were reversed?