THE TIBETAN BUDDHIST BATTLEFIELD OF INDIA-CHINA IS TAWANG.

Tibetans favour the Dalai Lama over Emperor Xi, Buddhism over communism, and democracy over authoritarianism. That is why China wants to annex Tawang, the location of Asia's oldest monastery and the potential birthplace of the next Dalai Lama, in accordance with Tibetan tradition.

Indian and Chinese troops have clashed again. CNN-News18 mentioned that three hundred Chinese infantrymen crossed over into Indian territory at 3.00 am on December 9. Within minutes, 100-one hundred fifty Indian troops rushed over and repelled them. Thanks to an settlement now no longer to apply firearms, the combating concerned clubs, sticks and machetes. Six Indians had been grievously injured. The numbers are an awful lot better for the Chinese. Unlike the conflict in June 2020, nobody has died. Like the 2020 conflict, Indian troops have given Chinese infantrymen a beating.

Chinese newspaper Global Times claims that growing Indian nationalism and nearer US-India cooperation are liable for border tensions. A joint US-India navy workout withinside the border kingdom of Uttarakhand has ruffled Chinese feathers. So has the constructing of roads and strengthening of Indian positions in border regions. Furthermore, Beijing sees New Delhi an increasing number of aligning with Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy. It perspectives the Quad, comprising India, Japan, Australia and the US, as an anti-China alliance.

Retired CIA officer Glenn Carle, certainly considered one among Fair Observer’s ordinary authors and commentators, takes the view that Chinese transgressions are part of a long time coverage. Beijing pushes on all global troubles in which they have got variations till they meet opposition. On Deutsche Welle, an Indian professor opined that Chinese transgression pursuits to maintain India distracted and benefit leverage in negotiations. Like many, he thinks that Beijing is signaling to New Delhi that Washington is some distance away. India need to make peace with its greater effective northern neighbor, that's the pinnacle canine in Asia.

All those factors are proper however there may be some thing greater going on.

Chinese Communism v Tibetan Buddhism

It is vital to observe that the Chinese completed this operation withinside the wee hours of a cold wintry weather morning at excessive altitude. This required specified making plans and powerful execution, and changed into virtually now no longer an unintentional cross-border patrol, as a few analysts have speculated. The purpose changed into to occupy strategic heights close to Tawang, one of the maximum sacred locations in Tibetan Buddhism in India’s northeastern kingdom of Arunachal Pradesh.

Nestled among China-occupied Tibet and Bhutan, Tawang is a district of approximately 2000 rectangular kilometers (800 rectangular miles) this is additionally domestic to the oldest and 2d largest monastery in Asia. Tawang is one of the only a few regions in which there are hundreds of Tibetan households of their conventional place of birth outdoor China. The Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, changed into born on this vicinity in March 1683. 

The present day Dalai Lama is now 87 and the query of succession looms. Already, the Tibetans and the CCP are clashing over this query. Note aleven though that no Dalai Lama has emerged outdoor the conventional Tibetan place of birth. Tawang is the handiest vital middle of this place of birth outdoor Chinese manage. For many Tibetans, it's miles perfect that this culture continues. As many lamas have referred to to the authors, the subsequent Dalai Lama may want to nicely emerge from the Tawang vicinity. Beijing desires to keep away from this type of possibility. Control over Tawang could help. Hence, China claims this vicinity along side different bits of Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet.

In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sooner or later triumphed in its civil conflict and took over Mainland China. Within a year, the CCP despatched the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. This imperial military of career posed as an military of liberation and has nonetheless now no longer left.

In the early days, Beijing sought to keep away from Tibetan unrest. Therefore, China signed a Seventeen Point Agreement with Tibet. It promised now no longer to “modify the prevailing political machine in Tibet” and “the hooked up status, capabilities and powers of thei Dalai Lama.” China did now no longer make those guarantees in exact faith. Under Chairman Mao Zedong, the CCP started out shaping a deeply non secular and Buddhist Tibet into its imaginative and prescient of an atheistic communist utopia. For maximum Tibetans, this utopia changed into a nightmare. In 1959, they rose up in rise up. The PLA brutally beaten the rise up and the Dalai Lama fled to India.

Just because the Pope is the non secular chief of the Catholics, the Dalai Lama is a comparable discern for the Tibetans. His presence in India angers China and, so long as the Dalai Lama lives, he stays a focus of Tibetan resistance to Chinese colonization. Once the Dalai Lama dies, Beijing pursuits to select out his successor. Control over the anciental Tawang monastery could snuff out a key middle of destiny resistance.

China has been following this playbook for a while. In 1995, Beijing rejected the Panchen Lama selected through the Dalai Lama. Instead, the CCP appointed a Manchurian candidate in his place. Today, a puppet Panchen Lama symptoms and symptoms from Beijing’s hymn sheet, caution Tibetans to live farfar from separatist forces. This Beijing-appointed chief argues that Tibetan Buddhism should adapt to “socialism and Chinese conditions.” No wonder, the CCP’s moist dream is to put in a puppet Dalai Lama who pledges fealty to Beijing.

Why Tawang Matters

Many Chinese nationalists remorse the lack of Tawang. This vicinity may want to thoroughly were part of China. Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first top minister  changed into wedded to the concept of India-China unity. He desired the 2 Asian giants to get up to Western imperialism. Against the desires of his statesmanly domestic minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Nehru acquiesced to the 1950 Chinese takeover of Tibet.

As defined in a magnum opus on Fair Observer approximately India-China tensions, Nehru later found out that he have been duped through Mao. He kicked off the so-referred to as “ahead coverage” as in step with which Indian troops took positions in territory that each India and China claimed as their personal. In 1962, the PLA dealt India a devastating defeat. Chinese troops took over Tawang and superior as some distance south as Bomdila. Although they later withdrew, India misplaced treasured territory and valuable prestige.

The reality that Tawang changed into in Indian arms is a historic accident. Nehru changed into a socialist and so had been his pinnacle officers. They valued an anti-Western alliance with China. Major Ralengnao “Bob” Khathing did now no longer have such Nehruvian delusions. He took topics in his personal arms and marched to Tawang with simply  platoons. In 1951, this vicinity, previously below the manage of the unbiased Tibetan government, changed into now in Indian arms. Except for a short interlude in 1962, it has remained Indian territory since. The Chinese nonetheless lay declare to Tawang aleven though.

The latest Chinese operation could have captured heights from in which each the city and monastery in Tawang are virtually visible. They could have secured vicinity domination and made a destiny pass to seize Tawang easier. Artillery from the captured heights may want to have pummeled the monastery and the city. Also, as soon as snow could have set in and climate grew to become inclement, Chinese troops could have dug into their new positions. Indian generals could have determined it difficult to transport massive numbers of troops to recapture those positions.

Note that the Chinese have attempted to seize those heights before. They tried in 2016 and, greater recently, in October 2021. The Chinese have settled veterans in xiaokang (nicely-off) border protection villages. One such village is withinside the region of the factor of the modern day conflict. Intelligence officers inform officers that 600-seven-hundred such xiaokang encampments now exist alongside the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto India-China border. They shape a part of the competitive protection coverage that President Xi Jinping has unleashed on almost all of China’s neighbors.

If the PLA were given preserve of Tawang, the CCP could manage a anciental Tibetan monastery. Its preference of the Dalai Lama could be rubber stamped through this venerable institution.

Buddhist Dalai Lama v Communist Emperor Xi

Tibet is administered in step with Mao’s dictum: “Political electricity grows out of the barrel of a gun.” Neighboring Arunachal Pradesh, which the CCP claims as South Tibet, is a rambunctious multiparty democracy. The kingdom’s leader minister gained forty one out of 60 seats withinside the 2019 elections. On December 16, he blamed Nehru for appeasing China and thanked Patel for taking up Tawang. Such a declaration approximately latest records is not possible throughout the border. Unsurprisingly, Arunachal Pradesh has emerged as a less than perfect however feasible democratic version for China-occupied Tibet. This makes the CCP nervous.

This anxiousness has worsened due to latest protests. Only in October, the twentieth Central Committee of the CCP topped Xi as de facto emperor. Despite his disastrous zero-COVID coverage, Xi’s vice-like grip on electricity seemed greater stable than ever. The previous few weeks have grew to become out to be a alternatively long term in Chinese politics. Xi’s zero-COVID coverage has fallen aside and he has quietly made a U-turn. As in step with Nature, scientists fear Xi’s abrupt reversal may want to cause a upward push in infections and weigh down hospitals. 

Winter is height influenza season. Also, many humans could be travelling throughout China for the Lunar New Year and spring festival, in addition growing viral unfold. Now that Xi is omnipotent, all blame could fall on him. The CCP is aggravating that protests may want to even unfold to Tibet, making the birthday birthday celebration and Xi lose face.

The CCP is likewise concerned approximately latest trends in India. Earlier this year, the Indian top minister referred to as the Dalai Lama to want him a satisfied birthday. Chinese inflammation in addition elevated whilst New Delhi launched pictures of the Dalai Lama visiting “a far off Himalayan village withinside the disputed border location of japanese Ladakh.” The reality that he have been flown there through a navy helicopter in particular irritated Beijing.

The Chinese have now no longer forgotten that the preceding Dalai Lama fled to Darjeeling whilst Qing troops marched into Lhasa. The 1911 revolution gave the thirteenth Dalai Lama the possibility to go back from exile, and expel Chinese troops and officers from Lhasa in 1912. He declared whole self-rule and Tibet completed de facto independence that lasted almost 4 decades. The CCP is afraid of Tibetans attaining independence again. As lengthy because the Dalai Lama lives in India, they worry that what came about in 1912 may want to recur.

For the CCP, Tibet is a tributary of China and the Dalai Lama need to kowtow to Emperor Xi. For Indians, Tibet is domestic to Kailash and Mansarovar, the domicile of Lord Shiva. They appreciate Tibetans for keeping Buddhism and a lot of India’s maximum respected tantric traditions. For Tibetans themselves, India is the land of the Buddha and now domestic to the Dalai Lama. They pick democracy to autocracy, Buddhism to communism and the Dalai Lama to Emperor Xi.