By Lan Jianxue
As the COVID-19 epidemic continues to worsen in India, the country may turn to old tricks, such as initiating provocations on its borders with China or Pakistan, fanning nationalist sentiments at home, to distract people’s attention.
Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Misri said on April 15 that sweeping the border issue under the carpet and characterizing it as a “minor issue” is “tantamount to running away from the problem,” according to media reports.
Based on New Delhi’s prior patterns, every time when there is a vital crisis at home, India has always tried to distract attention by stirring up trouble on external issues, such as border issue. Tensions on China-India border have been relieved to some extent, but China needs to maintain sharp vigilance and get ready to deal with potential fresh moves by India at the border.
India’s COVID-19 epidemic has experienced a serious second wave. Its daily new COVID-19 cases have shockingly exceeded 200,000 for seven consecutive days. In one crematorium in the western Indian state of Gujarat, gas and firewood furnaces have been running so long without breaks that metal parts have begun to melt, according to CNN. Considering India’s 1.36-billion population and inadequate medical system, this new wave has made India a new epicenter.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday canceled his visit to India. The UK has also added India to a “red list” of countries from which most travel to the UK is banned. The US Center for Disease Control has issued a warning for potential travelers to India, asking them to “avoid all travel” to the country even they are fully vaccinated.
The new wave has made people suspect that the Indian government’s early case data may be fake, misguiding the public that the country has successfully contained the epidemic in order to lift the lockdown early.
–The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
