CHENNAI, India, 1 August 2021
Observing the aggressive and expansionist policies of China and its unconcealed ambition to become the unquestioned world superpower, one cannot but tend to compare Xi Jinping’s China with Hitler’s Germany, which also had similar ambitions. There are many things in common between today’s China and Hitler’s Germany.
Many wonder whether China will go the same way as Hitler’s Germany, or whether Xi JinPing’s China would succeed where Hitler failed.
It appears that Xi JinPing is a great admirer of Hitler, as he is following Hitler’s foot steps meticulously. In Hitler’s Germany, dissenters were suppressed and Jews were massacred. Under Xi Jinping, there is ongoing genocide of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, and no dissenter in China can survive today. The massacre of innocent Tibetans who protested against China’s occupation indicate the similarity in the mindset between Xi Jinping and Hitler
While Hitler claimed that his was the Nazi government, Xi Jinping claims that his is the Communist government. However, in practical terms, there is no difference between these two claimed forms of governance, as suppression of freedom, ruthless elimination of dissenters, and lack of transparency in administration are the hallmarks of Hitler’s Germany and Xi Jinping’s China.
In Hitler’s Germany, tremendous breakthroughs in the fields of engineering and technology happened, which emboldened Hitler to build a powerful military force to challenge the world. Similarly today, China has made remarkable progress in the scientific and industrial fields, which has boosted the confidence of Xi Jinping. He has strengthened his military in a way that China can confront the world if a war were to happen.
Hitler’s Germany aligned itself with Italy and Japan to advance its expansionist and world domination ambitions. In the same way, Xi Jinping is forming unequal alliances with Pakistan and North Korea, and is increasing its influence in a decisive way in several developing countries by extending loans, making them debt-ridden and ensuring that they can never get out of China’s grip.
Hitler’s target was Britain, as he thought that conquering Britain would ensure that Hitler’s Germany could emerge as unchallenged superpower in the world, particularly since Britain was occupying a number of countries in the world such as in the Asian sub-continent and other regions. Hitler’s view was that conquering Britain would be the pre-condition to achieve his ambition of controlling the world.
In an almost similar way, Xi Jinping’s China wants to conquer Asia first and bring it under its total control, so that China’s march towards superpower status would be unhindered.
To bring Asia under its control, China has to necessarily destabilise India and weaken the country, so that India cannot block China’s goal. China’s aggressive occupation of Tibet, threat to invade Taiwan, ruthless suppression of freedom fighters in Hong Kong, and occupation of India’s territory and claiming part of India as its own, are all part of Xi Jinping’s long term plans and strategies. Further, by making claims with regard to South China Sea, China is also challenging other countries like Phillipines and is also confronting Japan.
With Pakistan under its near-total control, it is now a question of time when Afghanistan will go under China’s thumb. With this strategy, China would continue to harass India and perhaps, by using unethical ways, it may even “buy” some Indian groups to create internal turbulence.
All said and done, India by itself cannot face an attack from China, particularly with countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan under China’s control. India needs the support of Western countries, and particularly the US.
By withdrawing from Afghanistan all of a sudden, President Joe Biden seems to be behaving like Lord Chamberlain, who was the weak Prime Minister of Britain before Winston Churchill.
Joe Biden seems to be thinking that other countries should solve their problems. This is a weak and counter-productive policy, and shows the weakness in approach that Lord Chamberlain showed towards Hitler
Today, the world is certainly fearing China and not so much respecting it, in the same way that Hitler’s Germany was looked upon before the Second World War.
China has made its intentions and priorities clear, and nobody needs to expect that China will mend its ways. Hitler never did and Xi Jinping will never do.
In such circumstances, the world has no alternative other than confronting China and its allies in the same way the world did with regard to Hitler’s Germany and its allies.
Winston Churchill arrived on the scene in Britain replacing Chamberlain, and led the war against Hitler. The question remains whether a Churchill-like leader would emerge in the US or any other country to make China behave.
As of now, one has to keep the fingers crossed.
The ultimate proof that China has been contained will be the liberation of Tibet from China’s vice-like grip.
About the author
NS Venkataraman is a chemical engineer as well as social activist in Chennai, India. He is the founder trustee of Nandini Voice for the Deprived, a Chennai-based not-for-profit organisation serving the cause of the deprived and down-trodden, and working for probity in public life.