Salami Slicing Tactics China: The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been for long resorting to the aggressive ‘salami-slicing’ technique to carry out its expansionist policy. The fall of Tibet and Hong-Kong into the Chinese hands is a classic textbook example of this strategy. China, however, has claimed various parts of its neighbour’s as its own territory.
Salami Slicing -technique is basically an aggressive and invasive policy through which the Chinese administration claims the territory of its neighbours through the launch of fabricated historical maps. Thereafter, they pursue an aggressive campaign to put forth the narrative and receive recognition of the global community.
Following this, the military adopts a policy of occupation and retreat through aggressive military exercises. The Salami Slicing technique has been effectively used by the Chinese government to alter the status quo along the borders.
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Dark trap of salami slicing against India
The conclusion of World War II saw a downturn in the physical annexation of territory through military conflicts. However, China has been the only exception to this rule. The country successfully annexed Aksai Chin owing to Beijing’s expansionist policy.
China launched an offensive on Indian borders in 1962, intruding hundreds of kilometres inside the country’s eastern borders. Later, the Chinese PLA withdrew from the eastern sector but claimed the Aksai Chin slice. The then-government was forced to acknowledge it as the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
More recently, in the Ladakh region, the People’s Republic of China has brought the ethnic Han pastoralists and provided them with cover to exploit the land across the areas of undefended Line of Actual Control.
The move helped the Chinese drive away the indigenous Indian herdsmen from their traditional pasturelands. Following that, the military exercises were implemented, with permanent structures built to pave the way for future salami slicing.
Further, the introduction of the “Land Border Law (LBL)” by the Chinese government, which came into force on 1st January, 2022 is another move in this direction. The law came in light of the growing tensions with India.
Through this act, China has created disputes over various Indian territories and asserts that it will “resolutely defend territorial sovereignty and the land border,” reported the Policy Research Group (POREG).
Besides this, along the India-China borders, Beijing already claims over 90,000 sq km of territory in Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir as part of South Tibet. Further, China is also eyeing the Doklam plateau, along the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction.
It will give the Chinese an added advantage to look through the Siliguri corridor, or “Chicken’s Neck.” Thereby, providing in future, an opportunity to ‘salami slicing’ the north-eastern states from the rest of the nation.
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Chinese expansion in Bhutan, Nepal, and Japan
China has also carried out the expansion of border towns in bordering areas of Nepal and Bhutan, namely Gyalaphug, etc., under the “Salami Slicing” technique.
Furthermore, in the South and East China Seas, the “Salami Slicing” technique was applied by the PLA through the use of hydrocarbon exploration leases and the assertion of fishing rights.
Additionally, in the East China Sea, China has brought its army face-to-face with the Japanese over the Senkaku Islands, which it calls Diaoyu. The belligerent approach helped China win recognition of the territory.
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Perils of Chinese Salami to India
Late General Bipin Rawat, the first Chief of Defense Staff, warned against the salami-slicing methods adopted by the Chinese and saw them as a great threat to the integrity of the nation.
He believed, “As far as the northern adversary is concerned, the flexing of muscle has started. The salami slicing, taking over territory in a very gradual manner, testing our limits of threshold is something we have to be wary about and remain prepared for situations emerging which could gradually emerge into conflict.”
The method deployed by the Chinese in the form of “salami slicing” highlights the cowardice of the Chinese PLA. The Chinese have annexed thousands of kilometres of territory from Tibet and other neighbors. But the irony is that the Chinese have not fought a traditional war in the last 50 years.
The lack of agility and experience of the Chinese forces was evident during the recent Galwan clash with the Indian army. Therefore, the Chinese are resorting to the “informal salami technique” instead of waging a fully fledged war.
The slicing helps take territory bit by bit rather than launching an offensive. That is to say, from the perspective of India, the strategy of the Chinese PLA is more dangerous than the one adopted by the western enemy, Pakistan.
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