New Delhi, September 5
A China shaken on the defensive due to military setbacks on the border has now accused India of playing the Tibet card.
The Chinese media, Global Times aligned with the ruling Communist Party, reported: “While for India, conspiring with the exiled Tibetans and playing the Tibet card is just shooting their own foot, as the economic power and military strength of China are much larger than India, “one said the analyst.
In a sense, China has dared with its economic and military might and has tried to send India a message on the issue of “collusion with the Tibetan leadership in exile.”
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“The latest China-India border clash has brought into the spotlight an Indian force unit, made up of exiled Tibetans, who some Indian media believe formed an ‘elite unit’ and played an ‘important role’ in the latest standoff sparked by provocative actions, “Global Times said in a report.
“However, according to Chinese analysts, this so-called Special Border Force (SFF), with a maximum number of 1,000, was far from ‘elite’ and was only used by the Indian army as cannon fodder in the border confrontation.” the report says. said.
According to the report, Qian Feng, director of the research department of the National Institute of Strategy at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times that the Indian army deployed the unit of exiled Tibetans to carry out the preventive actions, but according to Indian media . , the action resulted in the death and injury of another commander, fully reflecting the insufficient preparations of the Indian forces.
“A death and the injuries of another commander in this non-war military action showed that the SFF was not that ‘special’ and was far from being elite. They were only used by the Indian army as cannon fodder, ”Qian said.
The SFF was first formed with US support in the 1960s, as exiled Tibetans had high-altitude combat capabilities. They were later used by India to spy on the Chinese military, according to Qian.
“At present, the importance of the SFF has decreased significantly in the Indian Army and it no longer plays an important role. The number of the unit has also been drastically reduced and, at present, the unit has at most 1,000 descendants of exiled Tibetans, ”he said.
“The Indian army does not trust foreign soldiers, so most Tibetans had a very low status in the army. Becoming a member of the unit was just his means of earning a living, ”Qian said, according to the Global Times.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said: “We strongly oppose any country that provides convenience in any form for the separatist activities of the ‘secessionist forces of Tibet.’
According to the Global Times, analysts said that the Tibetan “government-in-exile” has faded into obscurity and cannot make waves internationally. He only used the China-India border clashes as an opportunity to get a little attention. IANS