New Delhi ¨C China¡¯s foreign minister, Wang Yi, recently declared that aggression and expansionism have never been in the Chinese nation¡¯s ¡°genes.¡± It is almost astonishing that he managed to say it with a straight face.
Aggression and expansionism obviously are not genetic traits, but they appear to be defining President Xi Jinping¡¯s tenure. Xi, who in some ways has taken up the expansionist mantle of Mao Zedong, is attempting to implement a modern version of the tributary system that Chinese emperors used to establish authority over vassal states: Submit to the emperor, and reap the benefits of peace and trade with the empire.
For Xi, the COVID-19 pandemic ¡ª which has preoccupied the world¡¯s governments for months ¡ª seemed like an ideal opportunity to make quick progress on his agenda. So, in April and May, he directed the People¡¯s Liberation Army (PLA) to launch furtive incursions into the icy borderlands of India¡¯s Ladakh region, where it proceeded to establish heavily fortified encampments.
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