Evening star., 1950-11-04
India, Red China and Tibet

In all probability. as advocated by India, the
issue Of Tibets status in relation to China could
have been settled quite peaceably But the
Communist regime at Peiping-possihly to gain
face" by f1exing it's muscles and showing Asian
peoples how its armies can march--chose to re-
sort to a military invasion to "liberate" the
5000 900 inhabitants of this strange and remote
mountain country that has been called "the roof
of the world"
The invasion-carried out by what Moscow's
Pravda describes as "the glorious Peoples Liber-
alton Army of China"-is now very far advanced.
Mlitarily speaking, the Tibetans are virtually
defenseless. Backward in the ways OF war; they
are organized as Buddhist theocracy whose
spiritual leader-the boy Dalai Lama-has no
modern arms or armies at his command. So
there is no doubt that the Peiping Communists
soon will be able to announce great victory"
giving freedom" to Tibet and reScung 1t from
non-existent Anglo American "lmperlallst" plot.
However, in moving to win this victory"
the Chinese Communists, besides inviting upon
themselves the antagonism of BuddhiSts through
out Asia, have greatly offended Prime Minister
Nehru of India, who up to now has been their
best friend in the free world-the man who has
been one of the strongest and most earnest ad-
vocates of their demand that they be admitted
into the membership of the United Nations
But as a result of the invasion OF Tibet this
same man. through his government at New Delhi,
has delivered two notes to Peiping which come
close to saying that Red China has lost the
esteem confidence and good will both of himself
and his country
At any rate, the notes make clear that Mr.
Nehru and his government regard it as something
OF an insult that the Chinese Communists have
suggested that India has been stooging for
foreign influences hostile to China" (presun-
ably meaning Anglo-American "imperialistsD in
proposing q non-military settlement of the
Tibetan issue. The notes make clear, too, that
India looks upon the invasion as show of force
that has mo justification whatever"-a brazen
act OF aggression that has greatly added to the
tensions of the world and to the drift towards
general war"
1t is too early to say whether Indian policy
toward Red China will be changed accordingly.
But since the invasion is plainly an act of ag-
gression and since aggression violates one of the
key principles of the United Nations Charter,
Mr. Nehru and his government will not be doing
a surprising thing If they cease acting as advo-
Gates of Peiping's admission into the u N. More
over, wholly apart from this aspect of the situa-
tion, India has some reason to be concerned over
the prospect of having aggressive-minded
Chinese Communists at its Tibetan border, and
It's relations with them may therefore enter a
sitter phase.
In any case, 1t seems clear that Red Peiping,
whatever may be It's gains in Tibet, has lost
something in India. 1t has shaken Mr.. Nehru.
It has made him distrustful of what Communist
China stands for. And since he is leader of
great influence In Asia, this change in him, this
cooling of of his friendship, can have unfavor-
able consequences for Mao Tse-tung and for the
Far Eastern propaganda campaign of Mao's
inspirers in the Kremlin.