Xi Jinping in troubled Tibet

LAST week, Chinese President Xi Jinping toured Tibet. There is nothing remarkable about heads of state visiting areas under sovereign control. But Tibet is different. The last such visit was as far back as 1990; the long interregnum was possibly in deference to the anxieties aroused across the border in India. It was also an acknowledgement of the total Chinese security control over the Tibetans, though winning their hearts has proved difficult. That may be the reason why Xi’s visit was kept under wraps and announced only after it was over. Besides touring Tibet’s cultural and spiritual capital of Lhasa, what would have raised eyebrows in South Block was his trip to Nyingchi, bordering Arunachal Pradesh.

The two armed forces are already in the confrontation mode in Ladakh, also called the western sector. Does the Nyingchi visit, located near China’s super-dam project on the Brahmaputra, signal China opening the eastern front as well? The answer is not apparent but the visit follows Xi’s ‘heads bashed against the bloody great wall of steel’ speech barely three weeks ago. What is noteworthy is that Xi’s delegation included Zhang Youxia, Vice-Chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission, and visuals showed Xi addressing a rapturous assembly of PLA officers. Is it Xi’s typical bellicosity or a measured response to India’s presence in the Quad?

By visiting Tibet, Xi may even be preparing for questioning by the elders at the Communist Party’s summer-end retreat at Beidaihe. For, it was just over a year ago that Xi had called for further ‘Sinicisation’ of Tibet. The visit may signal China’s bid to shift the focus away from Taiwan to Tibet, which is assuming greater strategic importance. Yet, India can hardly overlook the security aspect. The visit happened amidst the largest-ever military deployment in the Himalayas. India-China ties have nosedived to a level where any Chinese clarification will appear disingenuous. India has no option but to be ready to fight fire with fire. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to firm up the first in-person Quad summit will only increase the tensions in the region.