World last week: China - India tensions, Russia enters 'new normal' phase

INFORMATION FRONT WAR

Tensions are rising between China and India along their Himalayan border, one of the world’s longest land borders. On June 6, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said that Indian and Chinese military officials met at the border to “peacefully resolve the situation in the area.”

Ahead of the meeting, Chinese television stations aired footage of the country’s military conducting exercises with fighter jets and military vehicles carrying soldiers moving toward the border area. Chinese media described the move as “demonstrating China’s ability to strengthen border defenses when necessary.”

Indian soldiers (foreground) and Chinese soldiers (far away) stand guard at a joint checkpoint in the Himalayas. Photo: AFP

Writing in India's Hindustan Times, strategic affairs analyst Shishir Gupta said that Chinese media images of People's Liberation Army (PLA) exercises in the border area are part of a campaign to "overwhelm the enemy to make them lose their weakened negotiating ability."

Both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have sought to win public support by building on nationalism and vowing national greatness. Now, that approach is on display in China’s coverage of the Himalayan border. While India on June 6 insisted on de-escalation, the Indian government changed its tune on June 8 in response to Chinese media reports.

“Any incursion into Indian borders will be met with retribution,” Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stressed: “India’s policy is clear. We will not harm the honour and integrity of another country. But at the same time, we will not allow any country to violate India’s territorial integrity.”

In an editorial published this week, India’s leading newspaper, The Hindu, said: “Only when the Chinese troops withdraw completely will India be satisfied. This will mean more than talks between diplomats. There needs to be a directive from Beijing for the PLA to implement this. Otherwise, India must prepare for a prolonged standoff and military exercises to ensure the withdrawal of Chinese troops.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) and President Xi Jinping during a meeting in 2019. Photo: DC

While Chinese media has been public about the PLA deployment to persuade India to back down, New Delhi is exerting similar influence by building international relations, linking with other countries currently in dispute with China in the Asia-Pacific region such as Australia and the United States.

This Indian strategy has attracted the attention of Beijing. In China’s Global Times on June 9, military analysts predicted that “the ongoing border dispute is unlikely to end immediately, as specific issues still need to be resolved.” But the actual resolution of the disagreements is unclear, as they date back decades and were largely fueled by both sides’ refusal to accept each other’s overtures and their desire to strengthen their military positions at the border.

SUCCESSFUL CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Russia is one of the countries hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, behind only the United States and Brazil in terms of the number of infections, and its government’s response to the outbreak has been heavily criticized at home and abroad. Leading Russian doctors have described a severe shortage of medical equipment, and observers have questioned whether Russia is underreporting its death rate.

However, those accusations and criticisms were clarified for the first time by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in an exclusive interview with CNN in the middle of last week, affirming that Russia has coped with Covid-19 and that its effective health care system has helped keep the death rate low.

Deserted view around the Kremlin during the lockdown. Photo: TASS

Some argue that the pandemic has damaged Putin's image beyond repair. A survey by the Levada Center estimated that Putin's approval ratings had fallen below 60% in April and May - a level never seen before in his two decades in power. Rejecting these arguments, Dmitry Peskov stressed: "President Putin has repeatedly stated that he does not care about personal ratings. In politics, if you are a true politician, you should not think about personal ratings, because if you only think about them, you cannot make responsible decisions."

Back in March, President Vladimir Putin claimed that the situation in Russia was “under control” and better than any other country. However, just a few weeks later, Russia became the country with the second highest number of Covid-19 infections in the world, forcing the government to postpone a referendum on constitutional changes. Despite the skepticism, for Russia, staying calm is the most important thing, as Mr. Peskov said: “Nothing is wrong, except nCov. Russia is testing as much as possible. The more tests, the more they detect.”

Russia’s official death toll has also been a matter of controversy. It is notably low, and has led to suspicions that Russia is somehow manipulating facts and figures to avoid criticism of the Kremlin. Responding to these assessments, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has attributed the low death toll to the efficiency of the health system.

Moscow, Russia has begun easing restrictions against the spread of the disease since June 9. Photo: The Moscow Times

Whether Russia has been successful in its response to the pandemic remains to be seen. On the other hand, social media accounts of medical professionals across the country have depicted hospitals struggling to care for patients and their staff. Meanwhile, President Putin’s political opponents have taken aim at what they see as premature claims of success in fighting the pandemic. The opposition has also criticized the government’s controversial decision to send ventilators and other equipment to the United States, even as the virus was not yet “let go” of Russia.

Moscow residents have begun to resume normal activities since June 9, when the lockdown imposed to limit the spread of the disease was lifted after two months, although local authorities still reported more than 1,000 new infections per day.

And while thousands of new infections continue to be recorded, the government's decision to hold a referendum on constitutional changes on July 1 is seen as Russia's final step towards a "new normal", and the Kremlin's plans are not slow.