It is not advisable to take every word of Chinese seriously. They are the ones who issue the ‘last warning’ to the United States 900 times. However, when it reaches a certain point, it becomes necessary to thrash them. The Chinese spy-ship issue is one such example, and New Delhi wasted no time in thrashing Beijing.
China’s deception campaign against India
India recently confronted the Chinese propaganda machine head-on. Beijing attempted to paint India as a coloniser of Sri Lanka. Instead, he ended up embarrassing his own country on the international stage. First, China’s envoy in Colombo, Qi Zhenhong, endorsed an article claiming that India colonised Sri Lanka 17 times in its history. The article made no reference to any historical agreement, history book, or anthropological evidence. That is to be expected from someone who represents a Communist regime.
The article would have died intellectually because of a lack of evidence. Because the Chinese were aware of this, they began disseminating misinformation through their state-owned platforms. The baseless, anti-truth allegation was also promoted by the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka’s Twitter account. Then Global Times, a CCP mouthpiece, jumped in and pushed the narrative even further by citing its envoy in Sri Lanka.
China was particularly irritated by India’s reaction to the docking of a Chinese spy ship at Hambantota port. India reacted angrily to the news, forcing the Chinese ship to make a delayed landing at the port. The Chinese attempted to portray India’s attempt to protect its national interest as harming Lanka’s sovereign status as a country.
India criticises China
The campaign was large, and given the history of Chinese aggression, a counter-offensive was inevitable, especially given the pro-India sentiment in Sri Lanka. Y.K. Sinha, the Indian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, wasted no time. The Indian ambassador stated categorically in a series of tweets via the Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka’s Twitter account that the Chinese ambassador had violated basic diplomatic etiquette. According to the Embassy, the Chinese envoy’s behaviour may have been out of the ordinary. However, the Indian Embassy also hinted that the Chinese diplomat is acting in accordance with his national attitude.
India has cornered China on all fronts;
The Indian Embassy explicitly stated that it is China, not India, that is involved in colonisation and border offence. It was possibly aimed at China treating Taiwan as a colony. ‘ His view of #SriLanka’s northern neighbour may be coloured by how his own country behaves,’ the Indian Embassy tweeted. #India, we assure him, is very different.”
India then confronted China’s debt-trap diplomacy. The Indian Ambassador stated, ‘Opaqueness and debt-driven agendas are now a major challenge, especially for smaller nations. Recent events should serve as a warning: #SriLanka requires support, not unwanted pressure or unnecessary controversies to serve another country’s agenda’.
The end of wolf-warrior diplomacy?
The Indian envoy’s tweet thread was a wise choice. The Chinese are literally taken aback by India’s response to their territorial aggression. Earlier, they attempted to temper their reaction because, despite the fact that it was late, they had finally gotten their way. However, reports surfaced that India had fried their ship’s spyware circuits.
Obviously, China could not say that out loud because it would expose the fallacy of Chinese claims that their vessel was designed to conduct scientific research. As a result, they chose this path. The campaign began a week after the Chinese vessel left Hambantota, indicating that China meticulously planned it as part of their so-called ‘wolf-warrior diplomacy’. India has been proactive in countering this diplomatic style, particularly since the Galwan Valley attack. The war is now being fought in neutral territory.
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