Sikyong Appears on News 18 India
Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay speaks to News18 India’s anchor Amish Devgan on India-China Clashes at LAC, 18 June 2020.
Posted by TIBET TV on Thursday, 18 June 2020
Dharamshala: CTA President Dr Lobsang Sangay spoke to News18 India’s anchor Amish Devgan on Indo-China clashes at LAC on Thursday. In light of the two weeks long standoff at the Indo-China border, the CTA President was invited to share his expert view on the ongoing conflict.
Highlights of the interview:
Amish Devgan: What would you like to say about what happened in Galwan valley?
President Dr Lobsang Sangay: Seventy years ago when the Chinese government deceived Tibetans with the promise of development and progress of Tibet, saying Tibetans would benefit from it. After the road was built, they occupied Tibet and exploited all the natural resources available and continues to do so till date. Our rivers feed the ten largest rivers in Asia which originate in the Brahmaputra, Sutlej, Indus and Mekong rivers. The Chinese government has constructed dams to generate hydropower in order to profit Chinese companies. We were completely deceived. We have been saying for 70 years that what happened with us, could happen to India and that is exactly what is happening now in Ladakh.
Amish Devgan: Sir, what I want to know from you is the prevailing narrative that because of the 1962 war in which China won against India, a group of lobbyists believe that China can not be underestimated, what is your view on that?
President Dr Lobang Sangay: The 1962 war is different from the 1967 war in Sikkim, one was lost and the other was won. Now, India’s military and border infrastructure have developed, so has the Indian economy. The India of 1962 is in the past, but the situation related to the 1962 war is that the Galwan valley intrusion happening now, is a repetition of what happened in 1962, they entered from the same area and used the same route.
Amish Devgan: Sir, China has conflicts with almost all its neighbouring countries, and it has boundary issues with all of them, and some are also under illegal occupation. Ultimately, what is China’s goal? What is your view on this?
President Dr Lobsang Sangay: China wants to be a global superpower and in Asia, it is sending the message that China has become a global superpower and nobody can compete with them, look at the South China Sea, Japan and the rest and with India in South Asia, by intruding at the border, they are sending the message that we have arrived, we are Asia’s top power, we want to be the global superpower.
Amish Devgan: You as a Prime Minister must have seen the Indian Prime Minister’s response, how do you see India under the leadership of Narendra Modi?
President Dr Lobsang Sangay: I don’t know all the details but what happened in Dokhlam, the Chinese intruded at the border and in response, India sent a sufficient number of the military forces to the borders and there for the first time China’s military was pushed back. At that time, I think China was a bit stunned that India is pushing them back, even this time with the Ladakh incursion, they are putting India to test and our Prime Minister and the military is giving them the response they deserve, saying that we are coming forward to protest and confront your aggression. When de-escalation talks were ongoing, they were talking about moving back 2-5 km so it’s essential that they return to the former agreed boundaries after the de-escalation. Otherwise, they will keep making incursions and eat up India’s borders, so what the Indian government has been doing so far, it should continue doing.
Amish Devgan: What is your view about the prevailing narrative that China is a strong opponent in this age, in the 21st century India, in 2020?
Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay: Economically and militarily, they say that they are the top superpower in Asia, but we must know as well that within China, there are murmurs going on and debates and protests against the Chinese leadership due to their economy crashing as a result of the pandemic, unemployment and real estate bubble burst. More than 130 WHO member states are demanding investigations into China’s role in the origin of the pandemic and seek accountability. The imbalance in trade relations between the US and China is getting tariff imposed, the EU is also investigating, so with all this pressure although China looks strong, internally, there is no democracy, it is an authoritarian system, a one-party rule, so it’s a fragile system, they have paranoia we can see so they are creating issues at some of the border regions.