#and it was just more fuel to the fire that is SEA vs china territorial disputes

[cutesilyo]

let me tell you a story about political history, the subtle art of throwing shade, and the power of the dress. it’s centered on a filipino fashion designer named mak tumang. 

don’t recognize the name? well, you might recognize his work.

his most famous dress, the one that pushed his name into national acclaim, is the dress catriona gray wore when she was crowned miss universe 2018. inspired by the mayon volcano, the most popular feature in the hometown of catriona’s mother, the dress was an absolutely stunning fit for an absolutely stunning lady. he went on to design even more beautiful dresses, as seen from his instagram:

now that last one, that’s a little unsettling, isn’t it? not as grand as the others, but it’s still a nice dress, certainly. yet the red in the ombre also definitely makes it look like it’s a dress drenched in fresh blood. surely, a great and respected fashion designer like mak tumang would understand how this design would look like. surely, he knew what kind of image that particular shade of red evoked. surely, there was a message that he wanted to say with this.

here’s some context: it was a dress commissioned by imee marcos.

imee marcos is a current senator. she’s also the daughter of the infamous dictator, ferdinand marcos, whose 21 years of presidency are characterized by opulent wealth for his family and the ruling class, extreme economic disparity between the rich and the poor, and the deaths of many activists, students, and innocents at the hands of state police, among many other atrocities. it was a dark time in filipino history, and a relatively recent one; the nationwide protests that pushed him out of power were only in the late 80′s. imee is no better than her father, though she tries her damnedest to hide it now; in 1977, she ordered the torture and execution of a college student just for daring to ask if she was qualified for her political position at the time. 

so, that brings us back to the dress. gold tainted with blood red, an incredibly astute metaphor for a woman whose family wealth is built on the deaths of her countrymen. 

just to add salt on the wound, yellow is a color heavily associated with the aquino family. i won’t get into how the color association came about, so here’s an article that explains it. the important thing to know is: when marcos was finally ousted, cory aquino rose to take the presidency after her husband, a liberal senator who was strongly against marcos, was assassinated.

putting it simply? mak tumang had made imee marcos, daughter of a bloody dictator, wear a dress that not only symbolized her family’s ill-gotten fortune and various human rights violations, but was also in the color of their greatest political adversary, the ones strongly associated with the end of the marcos dictatorship.

and he made her wear this for the presidential state of the nation address, the most televised political event of the year. 

talk about making a fashion statement.

[digiboat-blog]

INDIA VS CHINA: UNDERSTANDING THE CONFLICT

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INDIA VS CHINA: UNDERSTANDING THE CONFLICT

India and China have been at loggerheads over the much disputed Doklam plateau. Six thousand soldiers from the two emerging superpowers are standing eye to eye on the remote Himalayan plateau. Its been more than 4 weeks and a viable solution seems far from coming into existence. While China is adamant at claiming the sovereignty of the region, India too has refused to repudiate with active support from Bhutan. Illegal Chinese invasion is nothing new to India. China has always been a source of border quarrel in its quest of becoming an unprecedented Asian supreme. The present dispute is just an outcome of unsettled border disputes over the past decades.

HOW IT ALL STARTED?

China has always had bitter border disputes with India. The 1962 Indo-China war was also fought majorly over border disputes. There have been two areas of unsettled disputes over the years-The Western flank (Aksai Chin in Ladakh) and the Eastern flank( Arunachal Pradesh).

On the western flank, Aksai Chin is a vast uninhabited region towards the east of Jammu and Kashmir covering roughly 38,000 square kilometres. The sovereignty of Aksai Chin have been contested by both India and China. India has been claiming the region as a part of Jammu and Kashmir for years while China assumes it an integral part of its Xinjiang region. Johnson Line and McDonald line are the two border lines which demarcate the regions between India and China.

India actively accepts the Johnson line which puts Aksai Chin in Jammu and Kashmir. China, on the other hand , accepts the McDonald line which makes Aksai Chin a part of Xinjiang region. However, after the 1962 war,  India lost a considerable part of the land which is now administered mostly by China.

The Eastern flank which includes Arunachal Pradesh is highly claimed by China as its own territory. The area which covers more than 90,000 square kilometres is the largest disputed border region between the two countries. To settle the dispute ‘The Simla Accord’ was signed in 1914 to demarcate the boundary between India, China and Tibet. This established the Macmohan Line as the legitimate boundary between British India and Tibet. While India readily accepted the proposed line, Chinese delegate Ivan Chen opposed it. As a result, China opted out of the Simla Accord leaving British India and Tibet to accept the bilateral amity. A major part of Southern Tibet became a part of India after Tibet lost its status as an Independent territory in 1950 and India took control of it. Claims from China over Arunachal Pradesh started when it annexed Tibet and wanted to take full control of the region. India, on the contrary, opposed the move stating that China had no jurisdiction over Tibet when the Macmohan line was drawn. All international maps show Arunachal as a part of India. Furthermore, the people show no inclination towards leaving India. This further annoys China and it occasionally tries to cause unnecessary unrest in an attempt to trigger India.

DOKLAM ISSUE: WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT ?

The importance of Doklam lies in its strategic location which offers huge geographical advantage to the military. China being aware of the fact was viciously trying to construct a road which will bring it closer to the disputed Doklam region and will give access to India’s vulnerable ‘Chicken Neck’ also known as Siliguri Corridor which is a 20 km wide corridor linking the seven north eastern states to the Indian mainland. The success of the road project would mean a huge threat to India’s security. If China somehow captures Doklam then a huge chunk of West Bengal and Sikkim will be under direct firing range of Chinese military. In fact, Sikkim is the only region where Indian army enjoys a tactical advantage over the Chinese. China being acquainted with the fact always tries to sabotage any advantage the Indian army may have.

India along with Bhutan actively opposed the road construction which further vexed China. It responded by destroying two Indian Army bunkers which were located in Doklam plateau. The bunkers were created back in 2012 as a backup option by the Indian Army. China also stopped 57 Indian pilgrims who were on their pilgrimage to Man Sarovar Lake in Tibet through Nathu La pass in Sikkim. This has further escalated the tensions and the chance of backing off now seem bleak.

WHY IS THE DRAGON FUMING ?

The causes of sudden border unrest can be attributed to the fact that China increasingly wants to assert its authority and power in Asia. China’s hegemony is under huge threat from India and it thus leaves no stone unturned to fuel unnecessary disputes.

China was highly critical of PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the USA. The recent aggravations on the border can be attributed to the fact that China is jealous of strengthening India-USA ties. With Washington actively supporting India, China senses a sudden danger in its hold in Asia. The ‘Malabar Naval Exercise’ between India, USA and Japan is another matter of concern for China which views it as an intrusion into the territorial waters in the South China Sea.

China is also vexed at India’s disapproval of its flagship OBOR (One Belt One Road) initiative.  The road would pass through POK and will undermine India’s sovereignty over the region.

Another issue which frequently pinches China is the fact that Tibet’s Spiritual leader Dalai Lama lives in India. Dalai Lama fled from Tibet in 1959 to save himself from Chinese army after a mass uprising. He has been under India’s protection ever since and this is a fact China cannot digest. The recent uproar over Dalai Lama’s visit to Tawang Monastery in Arunachal Pradesh can be attributed to the fact that China increasing claims sovereignty of the region and views it as another opportunity to vex Indian government.

IS A WAR ON THE CARDS ?

With increasing unrest at the border, many have speculated that a full fledged war between India and China might be inevitable. PLA daily, the mouthpiece of Chinese Army confirmed that People’s liberation army has mobilised thousands of tonnes of hardware and military vehicles at remote regions of the Tibetan border. This claim was further fuelled by Samajwadi party leader and former Defence Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav who feared China and Pakistan will collaborate for an armed attack on India. Although China has been offering support to Pakistan over border issues, the possibility of an actual war seems low.

Chinese officials and media have been spewing venom at India over the much debated Doklam stand off.  China repeatedly cites the 1962 war in an attempt to disarm India mentally. This was seen as an attempt to incite the Indian Government. Arun Jaitley was also quick to respond and said India in 2017 is much different to what it was in 1962.

Any prospect of a war would not only risk the further development of both the countries but also put a huge setback financially. Military uses a considerable part of  GDP and war would hamper countries’ financial growth to a huge extent. What China must not forget is the fact that a prolonged war might escalate into a full fledged war with an active involvement of USA and Russia. Surely China would not want that owing to relations it has with the two nations.

Also, China’s economy has slowed down since 2011. The annual GDP growth rate was at 6.7% in 2016 opposed to 7.1% of India.  India and China trade volume was valued at 71 billion US dollars. India imported goods roughly worth 47 billion dollars. So huge part of China’s trade thrives on India. Any prospect of a war would seriously put China’s economy at stake.

THE SOLUTION

The only form of an effective solution is to come to a mutual accord. Although this might seem tough owing to the huge egos at stake but the need of the hour commands the two nations to deal the sensitive issue with care. India and China should concentrate on trade and not tirade. The booming economies would not be able to withstand the losses occurring from a war in case it arises.

The fight to supremacy will benefit none. In fact, it raises a greater risk of being vulnerable to western powers who are always ready to pounce on any opportunity provided. There are more prominent issues which need attention such as terrorism and poverty. India and China together constitute 37% of world population. A greater responsibility lies to feed and foster the people. A conflict in any form will inflict unbearable pain on the innocent people.

India and China have been ancient trade partners. The aim should be to form a strategic partnership and help Asia transform as a vital part of world economy. Asia is a huge market and a well-co-ordinated amity will definitely be of huge advantage.

What the future holds is still uncertain but blood bath is not the ideal solution. Borders are created for effective governance and not for disputes.