BANNING TIKTOK SENDS RIGHT MESSAGE TO CHINA

Mukesh Devrari  

Banning Tiktok in India is without a doubt a great decision by BJP government after the killing of 20 Indian soldiers at the Line of Actual Control at Union Territory of Ladakh. Globally the Tiktok has been downloaded by more than 2 billion smartphone users and 30 per cent of its customers are in India. If the Tiktok will be replaced by an Indian company, only then this ban is worth it, other it is immaterial from India’s point of view.

Otherwise, it makes no difference to our national interest whether the parent company is from the United States or China or Congo. Indian companies must intervene and capture the vacated market. They must offer similar apps to users. The Communist Party of China’s (CPC) aggression at the border gave this once in a lifetime opportunity for India’s businesses to capture the vacated spaces.

The CPC is responsible for the global downfall of Tiktok & Huawei. First of all, China should use the opportunity of BJP having the power to accept the Line of Control as an international border, otherwise, once the BJP loses power, other parties might not even succeed in accepting the commonsensical solution of the boundary dispute between the two nations.  

The columnists in Global Times are accusing BJP & Prime Minister Modi of spreading hatred against China, but their accusations cannot be far from the truth. Since 2014, BJP allowed trade deficit with China doubled without ever questioning it. He met Chinese President and boasted about his rapport with China’s leadership.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is smart enough politician to seek peace with greater power. It was reflected in his actions as well. China’s multinational corporations were welcomed in India, even if many of them merely assembled their products here and manufactured non-essential parts like packaging boxes and so on. In return, CCP led by Xi Jinping decided to push for territorial claim militarily irrespective of the costs, the result was killing of 20 Indian soldiers who were trying to establish decades of status quo.

There is no point in discussing how relevant is the theory of describing Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet or how valid are the claims of China over Aksai Chin and vice versa. China attacked India in 1962 war and seize the territory it considered its own. Then it returned the territory it did not want desperately by unilaterally withdrawing its forces.  

China’s mentioned media with disdain, which is reflective of views held by the Communist Party of China (CPC). China’s scholars beyond the rhetoric of diplomats claim that India was not even a nation. It was made one by Britishers. The scale of the diversity of ethnicity, religions, languages and cultures is beyond the imagination of CCP imperialists who have launched a concerted campaign to abolish people and cultures of Tibet and Sinkiang region. The Chinese believe that the loose thread of Hinduism connects India as a nation, otherwise there is nothing to keep it united.

It is important to note that if China wants unbridled access to India’s vast market, it cannot afford to appear belligerent on territorial disputes. If CCP wants confrontation, hostility and enmity with India, then China has already achieved it. It is extremely important for India’s leadership and its bureaucrats, that China cannot cherry-pick the different aspects of bilateral relationship as per its perceived national interest. It will not be acceptable to anyone that on the boundary dispute China bullies India, but it wants normal trading relations even after killing 20 Indian soldiers.

It is a fact that Indians are no saints, but their behaviour with China is realistic. India is a status quo power, whether it is Pakistan or China. It does not want any territory from anyone. If Pakistan and China are serious about resolving border disputes, then there cannot be a more ripe time for resolving it. China needs to think seriously that without having full access to India’s market, none of its multinational companies can become global.

Imagine the 600 million customers and value this success could generate for Tiktok in the long run. BJP CCP’s arrogance resulted in the collapse of their great future. Still, it is not too late, rather than providing a self-serving and foolish argument that there is no replacement of products India imports from China. It is true in the short run, it will be difficult but in the long run, if China persisted with its unilateral instigations and intrusions at the border, that is exactly going to happen.

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