Modi’s border visit conceals India’s incompetence in COVID-19 response, slumping economy: Chinese analyst

Beijing: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the China-India border to interact with troops was aimed at diverting public attention from his government’s incompetence in its coronavirus response and the country’s slumping economy, a Chinese analyst said.

Modi visited a forward post in the border region of Ladakh on Friday morning, days after the June 15 border clash between Chinese and Indian troops. Indian media called Modi’s visit a “surprise,” and said it was a morale boost to Indian troops, and sent a powerful message to China.

Qian Feng, the director of the research department of the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University in Beijing, told the Global Times that Modi attempted to show that he was a “strongman” on national security issues to soften criticism against him and shift public attention from his government’s incompetence in the coronavirus response, and economic slowdown.

Modi could learn about the preparations and deployment of the frontline and make preparations for the next step, Qian said.

The move also served to show China and the international community that India is firm in its commitment to safeguard national sovereignty, although India is willing to ease the situation through a bilateral mechanism and dialogue, Qian said.

Meanwhile, China warned India not to start new disputes, and will take measures to protect the interests of Chinese firms operating in India. China’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday in response to a series of measures taken by India against China.

His comments came after a series of measures, such as banning 59 mobile applications developed by Chinese firms, were taken by the Indian government against China after border tensions between the two countries boiled over in June.
Media outlets even reported that Indian officials said Chinese companies will not be allowed to participate in India’s future highway projects.