The current pace at which China is picking up regional issues with all its neighbours across the Asiatic continent is a cause for concern, said former National Security Advisor and former Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon.
Addressing an event of the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), he said that China has little to worry under the present global order and therefore its behaviour makes little sense.
‘Surprising’
“The surprising thing is the pace at which China is moving [on regional issues]. Why this hurry especially when they are in an advantageous position in the world,” said Mr. Menon, who served as the Special Representative of India on the border question with China.
He pointed out that there are certain advantages that the US faces while dealing with the world that the China cannot claim as it is located in Asia.
Major powers
“China is in a crowded neighbourhood with great powers located next to it who boast of major powers and economies that may not be growing as fast as China’s, but are growing nevertheless. This is a very different situation when compared to the United States which sits across two of the biggest oceans in the world.
Internal concerns
He drew attention to an internal concern of China which may be driving Beijing to settle its international issues at a fast pace. “Is there something [internal] that we do not know,” he asked and drew attention to China’s growing demographic challenges that were once described as its advantage.
“By 2040, most of China’s population will be in the same age group of today’s Japan which has the highest age group among major economies at present,” he said, explaining a possible cause of concern that might be propelling China’s drive to resolve the regional issues before its current population loses its young edge.
