New Delhi: Dr Johan Ove Lagerkvist, Professor of Chinese language and culture, Director of the Stockholm Center for Global Asia at Stockholm University, Author, ‘Organised Loyalty: A New State Ideology for China as a Global Power’, and Dr LI Nan, Senior Research Fellow at the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore, Author, ‘Civil-Military Relations in Post-Deng China: From Symbiosis to Quasi-Institutionalisation’ in conversation with StratNews Global Associate Editor Amitabh P. Revi.
This series of interviews is in association with ORCA‘s flagship event, the Global Conference on New Sinology (GCNS). New Delhi based ORCA is a nonpartisan research institute specialising in in-depth analysis of contemporary Chinese affairs. You can explore their website, which offers a wealth of resources, including special issue reports, data dashboards, informative podcasts, engaging infographics, thought-provoking articles, and a daily newsletter: https://orcasia.org/
“It seems Xi Jinping has created quite a lot of enemies in the party, even in the military, and also a lot of indifference among ordinary people, Professor Lagerkvist says, in this conversation, adding, “but it’s also hard for them to (vent) frustration because it’s fraught with risk to be seen as an opponent to Xi Jinping’s policies. So it’s hard to gauge, but things are probably simmering under the surface.” The academic and author also discusses the domestic drivers of China’s foreign policy, how the issue of Taiwan could be handled, and how Chinese society/elites will react to Chinese troops being killed in military action against India.
Chinese military officers, who are corrupt “do this to enrich themselves, their relatives, friends,” Dr Li Nan says, arguing that “they are not motivated by politics or ideology.” The scholar and author adds, “If you(China) wants to fight a war of offense(against India), (they would)need to have a superiority (of numbers) three or four times the Indian side.” He also discusses disappearances and shake-ups in the military leadership, how China is already being deterred on Taiwan, appeasement, constrainment, and China’s military posture on the India border.
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