War will be disastrous for India, China: diplomat

Veteran diplomat N Parthasarathi said that if India and China decide to wage a war against each other, it will be disastrous for both the countries as it will deeply affect the trade and investment links for the two.

“If India allows China to construct the road in Dhoklam, there is every chance of they coming down 16 km down the tri-junction of Sikkim-Dhoklam and Chinese border to enter the Siliguri corridor strip, gaining access to the northeastern states,” Parthasarathi said.  

Partshasarathi, who is High Commissioner of India to Republic of Gambia and Consul General of India in San Francisco, was speaking at the symposium on “Indo-China standoff at Dhoklam - Strategic Perspective” organised by the Forum for Integrated National Security here on Saturday.

He said China had been on the road to become the super power and its president Xi Jinping does not want any dent in his term.  It is a huge prestige issue for the Chinese government with their impending elections in November this year.

And for India, it is the national interest to protect its ties with Bhutan. Unlike China, which completely abandons products from a country it has strained its relationship with, it is difficult to do so in India, with a democratic set up, he noted.