New Delhi: In a report submitted by the Pentagon to the US Congress, it has been stated that China considers its claim over Arunachal Pradesh as part of its “core interests”. It highlights that by 2049, Beijing aims to achieve the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”.
China’s expanded ‘core interests’
According to the Pentagon report, China has increased the scope of its “core interests” to include Taiwan, sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, the Senkaku Islands, and Arunachal Pradesh, showing the expansionist policy of the country’s top leadership.
Chinese officials have reportedly said that for the rejuvenation of the country, its unification, including contested territories, particularly Taiwan, is needed. This strategic vision would change China, which would be able to field a “world-class” military capable of “fight and win” operations and could also protect the country’s sovereignty and interests.
‘Uncompromising core interests of China’
For China’s rejuvenation, its leadership thinks that three “core interests” must be fulfilled, and there can be no compromise on those. The interests include the Chinese Communist Party’s control, the economic development of the country, and the defence and expansion of its sovereignty and territorial claims. Also, the CCP won’t tolerate any external or internal criticism of its rule.
The CCP has called political voices in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet, and Taiwan, that criticize it as separatist elements that “external forces” have influenced and are threats to its legitimacy and power.
Regarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India, the report mentions India’s announcement in October 2024 of an agreement with China to disengage from remaining standoff sites along the LAC. A couple of days later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, which started monthly high-level engagements between the two sides. China is looking to strengthen its ties with India so that the latter does not deepen its relationship with the US.
