The Chinese army’s killing of at least 20 Indian soldiers this week was alarming and unacceptable.
The soldiers were killed in a skirmish along the contested “line of control” of far-northern India and far-western China. Tensions have always ebbed and flowed here, but this is the first loss of life there in 45 years. A conflict between two nuclear powers that comprise more than one-third of the world’s population is no mere sideshow. And China’s attempt to blame India for the deadly fracas should not be taken seriously.
China’s record along the line of control is one of aggression. Beijing expanded its presence in disputed areas in recent years. There are legitimate debates over where the border should be, but China has undermined all diplomacy by constructing observation posts and other buildings to sidestep diplomacy. Officers in the People’s Liberation Army of China frequently harass their Indian counterparts, screaming abuse while the Chinese foreign ministry claims they’re engaging politely. The Chinese Communist Party disdains the truth, but it is extra arrogant in this dispute.
In Wednesday’s press conference, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian was combative, saying that “China always owns sovereignty over the Galwan Valley region, and the Indian border troops have acted in ways inconsistent with their words and seriously violated the agreements both countries have reached.”
Zhao, known for his Twitter trolling, claimed that the Indians “provoked and attacked Chinese personnel.” Considering that the Indians were outnumbered perhaps 10 to 1, Zhao’s claims are not credible. There’s nothing unusual about his falsehoods, but this incident’s importance extends beyond China’s typical disregard for the truth. China is usurping sovereignty in several areas of the world as part of Beijing’s broader strategy of global domination and aggression against democracies.
In the South China Sea, China is stealing vast areas of ocean that are either international waters or belong to other countries. Democracies such as the Philippines and Malaysia face daily struggles simply to enter their own fishing grounds without being attacked by Chinese warships. China has no interest in honest diplomacy or resolution other than on its own aggressive terms. All the Communist Party cares about is taking from those who do not voluntarily give Beijing what it wants.
This strategy extends beyond territory and waters. Beijing’s thievery in cyberspace is legendary and vast. Xi Jinping’s intelligence officers wait for others to invest billions of dollars in new technologies, then steal it for themselves. Even China’s efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine are supported by a global campaign to steal research from others.
The thievery is also domestic. In Xinjiang province, China expropriates the freedom of innocent Muslims, sending them to reeducation camps, and using them as slave labor. In Hong Kong, China steals human rights it promised by treaty until 2047. Across the Chinese mainland, anyone who does not kneel to the Politburo quickly finds himself disappeared.
The lesson to be learned, as with the Soviet Union, is that communists have no regard for the decencies prized by Americans, Indians, and free peoples everywhere — the rights of individuals to life, liberty, and property and the right of other nations to their sovereign territory. It is up to free peoples to join together to protect their rights.
