BLOG

WATER POLITICS

Via Australia.to, commentary on what some view as recent Chinese efforts to “corner” India by increasing its diplomatic and military relations with the countries bordering India as part of a strategy to control vital water resources in the future.  As the article notes:

“…China has been trying hard to give further impetus to its relationship with Indian neighbours – Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. Besides, it has all-weather relationship with India’s main foe – Pakistan.

China has been specifically targeting Nepal, which in past was enjoying a cordial relationship with India. However, after the Maoists won the elections and communists took over the reign of the country, Nepal is moving close to the communist China, which is trying to increase its influence on the country to check-mate India and also maintain a tight grip over Tibet.

Chinese government has sent several high level official, cultural and military delegations to Nepal in the recent past. China has offered assistance to the country in different fields including tapping of natural resources and providing military and financial assistance. After these deliberations the Nepalese government for the first time has decided to deploy border guards along its borders with India. The India-Nepal border are ‘free zones’ and have always remained peaceful.

According to political observers the growing assertiveness of India and China in Nepal is a result of the ‘quiet competition’ between the two at the regional and global level.  “The kind of pressure Nepal will face from these two Asian giants in the future will partly depend on the quality of the bilateral relationship that will evolve between the two countries.”

They opine that with the support of Nepal, China can pose threat to India’s regime in Northeast India. “Nepal, if desired, can easily chock up vulnerable Siliguri Corridor of Indian state of West Bengal, disabling India to maintain land contact with entire Northeast India,” they further said.

Of late there has been bitterness in India-Nepal ties and to overcome these hurdles Indian foreign secretary recently visited the Himalayan country to seek assurances from the rulers that they won’t join hands with China to corner India.

A political observer of Kashmir, Aijaz Ahmad said India and China are trying to increase their influence in Nepal in view of the fact that the country has vast water resources, which if tapped can generate 850000 Megawatts of electricity. “The two countries fully know that in future they would be facing severe energy crisis and as such are trying to out-do each other in Nepal, which has been bestowed with abundant natural resources,” he said.

Aijaz said the future wars won’t be fought on land issues but on water issues. “Experts have already warned of India-China war and India-Pakistan war on water in the future,” he said...”