The Chinese government is proposing significant and far-reaching amendments to its Defense Law 1977, in response to the emergence of the Indo-Pacific region as a geostrategic hotbed for Sino-US rivalry explains Delhi University Associate Professor Kumar Sanjay Singh, articulating the transition of China from a regional power to a hyper-power.

RESPONDING TO THE CONFLICT SITUATION IN THE SUB-CONTINENT, CHINA has proposed amendments to its 1997 Defense Law which is a transition of China from a regional power to a hyper-power. Like the USA, China now seeks to claim the right to military intervention even in territories outside to protect the interests of China and it’s citizens.

Proposed in the shadow of Quad, the amendments have the potential to further amplify Indo-Chinese hostilities along the LAC, both in Ladhak and in Arunachal.

The proposed amendment will impact Chinese military policies in three areas:

• The amendment seeks to bolster China’s naval capacities, in order to meet the need of China becoming a blue water naval power. This is clearly a move aimed at challenging the US navy in the Indo-Pacific region.
• It seeks to bolster Chinese capabilities in a hybrid war. The proposal document advocates developing technologies for space war, electromagnetic war and cyber networking. This move could create technological asymmetries between Chinese and Indian military capabilities.
• The third development may particularly concern India as it has the potential to seriously impact Indian strategic opportunities in tackling issues related to Gilgit-Baltistan and other areas of Pakistan, where Belt and Road initiatives are being developed aggressively.

The impact of this document on the India-Pakistan-China triangulation, especially with respect to Gilgit-Baltistan is fairly obvious. Being a hub of belt and road initiative, any action that threatens to destabilize it in Gilgit Baltistan will invite military intervention from China.

In the draft amendment proposal, China intends to claim the right to military intervention in order to protect its “development interests”, both within and beyond Chinese territories, from threats of terrorism, regional instabilities, hostile attacks and lockdowns.

The impact of this document on the India-Pakistan-China triangulation, especially with respect to Gilgit-Baltistan is fairly obvious. Being a hub of belt and road initiative, any action that threatens to destabilize it in Gilgit Baltistan will invite military intervention from China.

The potential threat to Arunachal is less obvious. It will be well-worth recalling that China never gave up its claim over the region.

The potential threat to Arunachal is less obvious. It will be well-worth recalling that China never gave up its claim over the region. The draft amendments to the 1997 Defense law, when carried out will provide legal armature to China to escalate military actions in a territory claimed as being integral to China.

The draft amendment has been proposed in the context of hectic infrastructure building activities near the eastern LAC underscores the ominous potential of the proposed amendment to the Chinese Defense Law.

The writing is on the wall -who sees it and prepares a response remains to be seen.

Kumar Sanjay Singh is Associate Professor in the Department of History at the Swami Shraddhanand College, University of Delhi with specialisation in Mutations in Indian State formation post-1947, Extraordinary laws especially Internal Security Legislations and Human Rights with special focus on North-east India and Adivasi society.