In April, a new security doctrine proposing an international system for security governance based on Asian features, which included openness and inclusiveness. The Chinese leader emphasized that the US pivot to Asia has not brought peace to the region. “Hence, the U.S.-led alliance system is not the right option to safeguard the peace and stability of Asia.”

From the Chinese president’s comments, it seems this new strategy is mainly to counter US efforts to rebalance power and address rising security tensions in the Asia Pacific.

President Xi also to work together with China to safeguard peace and stability. The policy envisions a regional security model with a “dual-track approach,” integrating the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation with the Asian dream for a brighter future.

The United States, however, has continued its involvement in the Asia Pacific, and on May 10, Washington . The matter further escalated when two a US military reconnaissance plane on May 17.

The Standoff

China has territorial disputes with multiple countries that surround it, including Japan, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The issues are mainly related to claims over three clusters of tiny islands—one in the East China Sea and two others, Paracel and Spratly, in the South China Sea.

The dispute in the East China Sea is with Japan over an uninhabited 7-kilometer-wide island known as Senkaku by the Japanese and Diaoyu by the Chinese. This island has been . The Paracel islands have been held by China but claimed by both Taiwan and Vietnam as their own. A cluster of 100 small islands called Spratly is part of a larger contention, with the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and China all staking their claims.

Control of the uninhabited islands is important for four reasons. First, about . Second, the Asia Pacific is rich in natural resources. Third, it offers rich fishing waters. Fourth, the key reason behind the territorial dispute surrounds geopolitics, especially due to the dominating nature of China. Beijing’s presence in the area raises not only sovereignty issues, but also security concerns to these nations.

By the end of May, an on a case filed by the Philippines, disputing China’s claim on the entire South China Sea. Beijing has not only rejected the procedure, but also rushed into expanding its territorial claim by building islands, including an area falling in the Philippine economic zone and within 200 miles of that country.

Since the case was first filed in 2013, China has built seven islets in sea water to its south by piling sand on reefs. In 2015, Beijing also , the Fiery Cross Reef. in at least two other islands in the Spratly Islands.

Rising Tension in the region

These activities have become a point of international contention, resulting in rising tension that is clearly seen from the increased military budgets of countries in the region. According to the , military spending has risen by 167% in China, 30% in the Philippines and 170% in Vietnam. To put pressure on China, the US sent a Navy destroyer to the area in late 2015 and again in January 2016 before the latest episode in May.

Sino-Japanese tensions have escalated since 2013 when China announced the , requiring all aircraft flying over the zone to comply with rules laid down by Beijing, which was seen as “unilateral escalation” by Japan and the US.

Diplomatic Efforts and Counter Efforts

To provide support to countries in the region, US President Barack Obama sought to cement closer ties between Washington and the in February. During the conference, a joint statement was issued emphasizing the need for respecting sovereignty and international law in the Asia Pacific. While it was good for symbolic support, it fell short on expectations of nations having territorial disputes with China, especially did not specifically name that country.

Considering the hostility in the region and the US intervention in it, China has launched aggressive diplomatic efforts aimed at influencing other countries to limit “outsider” influence and resolve territorial issues in the South China Sea.

During his recent visits to Cambodia, Laos and Brunei, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi tried to , and he declared that the island issues should not impact their relations. In April, President Xi went further with an offer to have “.”

Long-Term Impact

Developments in the South China Sea have implications beyond the region. Some analysts believe that China is building military bases across the Indian Ocean as part of a “.” After the completion of such bases, there would be further international danger if China moves its dredgers and equipment to other places in the region. For instance, China may build and use islands to form a logistics chain in the Indian Ocean Rim (IOR).

India has been looked upon by smaller countries in the region for support, similar to what the US gives in the Asia Pacific. Even the US expects India to play an important role for balancing China. IOR countries have hosted talks at summits for regional security and economic development. Significantly, India, the US and Japan hold an annual joint naval exercise called Exercise Malabar, while in 2015, an Indian warship .

Responsibility for Peace

With China as an emerging superpower, Filipino President Benigno Acquino has a valid question: “?”

Over the past 100 years, we have seen two devastating world wars resulting in large-scale destruction and loss of life. Meanwhile, two competing superpowers, the US and the Soviet Union, had decades of diplomatic tension and waged a Cold War. However, both countries succeeded in proving to be a counterbalance for the other.

After the Soviet collapse, the US unilaterally took over the responsibility of being the global peace administrator. Fortunately, the world has managed to avoid a major international war by containing conflicts to smaller regions and avoiding direct violence between two superpowers.

But while Russia has suffered an erosion of its superpower status, China is fast emerging as a new superpower. The current military escalations in the Asia Pacific have not triggered any serious war, however, we must learn from history that expansionist agendas of superpowers often lead to destruction.

Hopefully, as announced President Xi, China is genuinely interested in a peaceful resolution of disputes by direct and pressure-free talks between regional countries. It is important for the aspiring superpower to show more restraint for the benefit of world peace.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect 51łÔąĎ’s editorial policy.

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India is the only country where Jews have lived without persecution, where Parsis from Iran have found a home and where different religions have coexisted and thrived for centuries. It is known for its tolerance toward its diverse population.

Ironically, however, intolerance has been in the headlines of Indian media for the past two months, overshadowing the development agenda set by . This has the potential of causing a disturbance in the current parliamentary session, which is an important moment for passing crucial legislative bills.

A couple of recent incidents that have stirred the debate on intolerance include the Bisara lynching and the Kalburgi murder. On September 28 in Bisara, a village in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Mohammed Ikhlaq was killed by mostly Hindu villagers. Ikhlaq, an Indian Muslim, had allegedly eaten beef after killing a cow. Cows are considered sacred by Hindus and eating beef is prohibited for them. A month earlier on August 31, a socialist author by the name of M.M. Kalburgi was murdered in Karnataka; he had been campaigning against dogmas in all religions.

These incidents have triggered a series of reactions. Many opposition leaders across regional and national levels have jumped into the debate by condemning the murders. In addition, they have expressed concerns about the growing intolerance in India. Some well-known actors and authors have returned over 35 prestigious awards as part of a (returning awards), blaming the Indian government for the growing intolerance.

India is Unsafe?

In an interview on November 23, , a leading Bollywood actor, was asked his views on the intolerance debate. He mentioned that his wife had for them and that they should consider leaving. Considering his popularity and his religion, Islam, the comment hit the headlines across Indian media and is being discussed across the country.

For a nation with a population exceeding a billion people, heinous crimes are not unheard off. However, India is regarded as a safe and law abiding country, where the justice system—although slow—is well-respected and trusted.

But with a long history of Muslim rule in India, religious riots are not unusual. When we dive deeper into this intolerance debate and look at different facts and perspectives, we can notice a different conclusion emerging.

There is no doubt that religious intolerance must be condemned, but it is important that all intolerant actions are condemned. There should be no exceptions to the rule. It is interesting to note that Indian artists didn’t protest or return their awards when thousands of Sikhs were massacred in 1984 after the murder of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, or when thousands of Kashmiri Hindus had to flee from their home state and become refugees in their own country. And they didn’t return awards after the 2008 Mumbai attacks by terrorists from Pakistan.

It is important to note that law and order in India is generally handled by state governments, which in the previous cases would be by the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and the Indian National Congress in Karnataka. Both parties are political rivals of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its National Democratic Alliance, which Prime Minister Modi is the leader of. Interestingly, however, the #AwardWapasi campaign has targeted the Modi government.

Another fact is that most of these artists like Arundhati Roy have consistently demonstrated a prejudice against Modi long before he was voted in as prime minister by a majority of the Indian electorate. Some of these intellectuals had signed petitions to the US government to ensure that Modi was denied an entry visa to America. In fact, the #AwardWapasi campaign peaked during the election in Bihar and abruptly finished with the end of the vote—as if the intolerance issue had been addressed with the state election. Clearly the motive was political rather than related to the issue of tolerance.

During an interview, Modi termed Ikhlaq’s death “really sad” and stated that he, his government and the BJP “never supports such incidents.”

Global Perspective

When it comes to Aamir Khan, he related the degree of intolerance from an experience of another popular Bollywood actor, , who was interrogated twice at US airports due to his Islamic faith. In fact, Shahrukh Khan once said: “Whenever I start feeling too arrogant about myself, I always take a trip to America.”

There have been no such incidents for any of the Khan actors in India. Instead, they enjoy VIP status due to their popularity anywhere they go in the country. Aamir Khan failed to elaborate on any specific incidents of intolerance toward him or his family. Instead, he used Shahrukh Khan’s example in the US by American customs officials to prove that India was intolerant. This is why we need to put religious intolerance into a global perspective and compare it with India.

In today’s world, intolerance manifests itself in different ways, whether it is terrorist attack in Paris or ethnic cleansing of Yazidis in Iraq. The US, even as the world leader, has not been free from intolerance against African Americans, which frequently presents itself in the form of police brutality. In September, , a Sikh male, was assaulted in Chicago while the attacker shouted discriminatory slurs like, “Terrorist, go back to your country, Bin Laden!” But do these isolated incidents make America an intolerant country?

In contrast to Aamir Khan, a noted Muslim writer called Taslima Nasreen, who took refuge in India due to a threat in Bangladesh, said that India is the safest country for the Bollywood actor. In an article, Sofia Rangwala, who moved to India from Kuwait, said: “My husband and I are thriving Muslim professionals in India. We have only felt acceptance.” Similarly, on November 5, the #AwardWapasi campaign was opposed by 36 authors and actors who supported Modi’s efforts with a statement called, “Intolerance in Contemporary India.”

Like other artists who returned the awards, Aamir Khan has long demonstrated a political bias against Modi. In 2005, he conducted a campaign to deny Modi of a US visa when the Indian leader was the chief minister of Gujarat. So, did Khan’s statement over intolerance stem from past experiences or his political views?

A crimeless state is a utopian dream that hasn’t been achieved anywhere around the world. Without justifying any acts of the violence, it is important to keep this in mind before labeling an entire country or government as intolerant.

Condemning acts of violence and intolerance is commendable, but selective condemnation based on political considerations is inappropriate. A double-standard labeling of one’s derogatory comments as freedom of expression but other similar comments as intolerance is not the right way.

Modi is correct in focusing on development in India, but a political agenda from a nexus of opposition and leftist activists to polarize society on religious lines is not helpful for the overall progress of the country.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect 51łÔąĎ’s editorial policy.

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