From Firebrand to Swadeshi Sermons
Narendra Modi built much of his nationalist persona on promising to stand firm against China. As Gujarat Chief Minister, he routinely lashed out at the Manmohan Singh government, accusing it of “sleeping” while Beijing encroached on Indian soil. Reports suggested that over 600 square kilometers of Ladakh territory had quietly slipped under Chinese control during the UPA years — an accusation Modi turned into a rallying cry.
The message was clear: under Modi, China would be shown its place.
A decade later, the tone is very different. Modi’s latest barb came not on the battlefield or the border but in the marketplace: “Even Ganeshji’s idols with small eyes come from abroad.” Everyone knew it was a swipe at Chinese goods, but the symbolism only highlighted how much of the old firebrand rhetoric has given way to studied silences.
“The Prime Minister who once thundered about Ladakh incursions now takes aim at imported Ganesh idols.”
Operation Sindoor: A Shadow War
The recent Operation Sindoor, India’s retaliatory strike after the Pahalgam terror attack, exposed the new strategic reality. On the surface, it was a precision campaign across the Line of Control aimed at dismantling terror infrastructure. But behind the scenes, it revealed a far more complex and worrying matrix.
China’s shadow loomed large. Beijing reportedly furnished Pakistan with real-time intelligence on Indian troop movements.
Chinese-supplied satellite imagery, drones, and electronic warfare platforms gave Islamabad sharper battlefield coordination than ever before.
81% of Pakistan’s military hardware now comes from China, turning the western front into a testing ground for Beijing’s next-gen systems.
Turkey piled on with Bayraktar drones and trained operators, leaving India to fight “one border, three adversaries.”
The Deputy Army Chief even likened it to a classic Chinese stratagem: “using a borrowed knife.”
“Operation Sindoor was not just a clash with Pakistan. It was a rehearsal of Beijing’s proxy playbook.”
Opposition’s Fury, Modi’s Silence
If Modi’s rhetoric once targeted China relentlessly, his relative quiet during Sindoor has become a lightning rod at home.
Congress accused him of ducking the China question in his talks with Xi Jinping — calling it “anti-national.”
Asaduddin Owaisi demanded clarity on whether Beijing provided jets, satellites, and weapons to Pakistan during the conflict.
The critique is simple: Modi may be trading strategic transparency for diplomatic decorum, leaving voters uneasy about whether India is underplaying a very real Chinese role.
“The silence, critics argue, is not diplomacy — it’s denial.”
The SCO Summit: Hedging Bets
Against this backdrop came India’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin and endorsement of the Tianjin Declaration. At first glance, this looked like a contradiction — why cozy up to a bloc dominated by China and Russia at such a tense moment?
But the calculation runs deeper:
The joint condemnation of the Pahalgam attack gave India a platform to push its anti-terror narrative on a stage that included Pakistan.
For Modi, the optics of engaging Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin underscored India’s ability to shape Asian diplomacy.
It was also a signal to Washington that India would not be boxed into a Western corner — especially after Donald Trump’s tariffs, withdrawal of GSP benefits, and his mocking description of India as a “tariff king.”
And with U.S. unease growing over India’s cheap Russian oil imports, Modi leaned into multilateral hedging — not romance, but insurance.
“The SCO was less about brotherhood with Beijing, more about buying room to maneuver.”
The Tightening Triangle
So where does all this leave India’s China policy? Caught in a tightening triangle:
A hostile China, deeply embedded in Pakistan’s military playbook.
An opportunistic Russia, offering oil but standing glued to Beijing.
An impatient America, bristling over tariffs and India’s Moscow tilt.
Modi’s old slogans of “red lines” and “muscular foreign policy” have collided with the brick wall of geopolitics. Today, the Prime Minister who once thundered about Ladakh incursions reaches for cultural metaphors about idols and swadeshi goods, while Operation Sindoor has shown that Beijing’s knife cuts deeper than ever.
“India’s China policy is no longer about roar versus retreat. It’s about navigating three storms at once.”
Conclusion: The Loudest Silence
Modi’s China problem isn’t just Xi Jinping’s aggression. It’s the shrinking space between rhetoric and reality. The man who promised to roar against Beijing now maneuvers between muted swadeshi sermons, uneasy summitry, and an unspoken acknowledgment of China’s growing leverage over India’s neighborhood.
In the end, it may not be what Modi says about China that matters — but what he cannot afford to say.
“The silence, for now, speaks louder than the speeches.”
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