What Govt. of India should do if China invades Taiwan: NITI Aayog Member
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, March 14: While foreign affairs commentators are brainstorming the import of the third term of Xi Jinping as China, worries of the future war prospects appear to have reached the NITI Aayog, the principal think tank of the Central government, which succeeded Planning Commission. The NITI Aayog Member Arvind Virmani wants the foreign affairs experts to tell what India should do in the event of China invading Taiwan.
“The issue which serious foreign policy scholars & experts need to discuss, is what GOI should do if PRC (People’s Republic of China) invades Taiwan; by specifying the pros & cons of taking specific actions, and making specific statements!,” tweeted Virmani, who has recently been appointed as the Member of the think tank panel.
He was responding to do another query put forth by a professor from the Jawaharlal University (JNU). “What would India do if China invades Taiwan? If it supports (the) US in defending Taiwan, China will heat up LAC (Line of Actual Control). If it stays away, China might still return to the LAC later with lessons learned from its Taiwan invasion. Has Beijing been trying to send Delhi the message since 2020,” asked Professor Happymon Jacob of the JNU. Virmani too gave his voice to Jacob’s loud-thinking.
Former diplomat Rajiv Dogra seemed in agreement with the thoughts of Virmani, “Indeed, there is (a) need for thought on the subject, as you suggest,” Dogra responded to Virmani.
Incidentally, military strategists who have been closely following China-Taiwan tension maintain that the chances of invasion of Taipei are too remote, for several reasons, which also include the fact that both armies have personnel who are bound by family relations. Besides, China may be lacking in the amphibian assault capabilities to quickly overrun Taiwan.
Otherwise, Taiwan may replicate Ukraine to showcase the future weaponry of the NATO nations to turn the tide against Beijing. Also, China has not tested its military strength in a war for several decades, and any reversal on Taiwan front may severely compromise aspirations of Beijing to become the second pole in the global order after Russia cedes the position following its suicidal war in Ukraine.
Indeed, Virmani most likely was indulging in loud thinking in his personal capacity, for the NITI Aayog doesn’t have the mandate to put its nose into the strategic affairs domains even though some passing references had been made in the Three Years Action Plan on strategic matters.
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