Title : ENGAGING CHINA : INDIAN INTERESTS IN THE INFORMATION AGE
Author : Pavithran Rajan
Publisher: Policy Perspective Foundation
Year: 10th November 2020
ISBN 978-81-946603-0-9
Price: Rs. 295/-
Reviewed By : R S Mehta
Many a times, big things come in small package. The book under review falls in the same category. This book is about disruptive potential of the developments taking place in the Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) that leaves a resurgent India with no choice other than to embrace this new age technology in all its dimensions and master it as quickly as possible, before it gets too late. Solutions prescribed in this book appear monumental in first look, but it is exactly here that the importance of this book lies and views of author becomes irresistible.
Pavithran Rajan in his monograph has packed some very powerful ideas and given some very critical insights into sensitive areas of national importance, that if viewed carefully and seriously enough, would make it hard for Indian policy makers to ignore, lest at its own peril. To that extent it will not be wrong to call Mr Pavithran’s compelling piece of writing a whistle blowing work and a shrill and desperate attempt of a cyber warrior sending SOS signals to a nation that can no longer afford to ignore it.
As per author, ultimate survivors in the Darwinian world are not those who are the most powerful or intelligent, but those who adapt to the rapidly changing environment faster and better than others (P. 71). Choices available to India in this regard are not many or much different.
It seems that the future we are stepping in, is the one in which domination of ICT and related technologies are going to be the main determinant of power where technological capabilities and economic power will be inextricably linked to control of data. “The control of data and the ability to analyse them are becoming the new drivers of economic growth and productivity among states”.(p xi) How different nations adapt to this reality alone will dictate their ultimate destiny.
Ownership of digital data holds substantial commercial value and is one of the critical drivers for countries to remain competitive within the global value chain. Domination of ICT technologies is endowing the foreign tech giants and data miners with abilities to control and own the data flow of other countries that is putting them more and more in a position by which they understand and manipulate host markets with such scientific precision that is unprecedented in human history. This is also helping them beat and eliminate any semblance of local competition. This is undoubtedly ushering the world into a new era of economic neo-colonialism.
Similarly, if data is permitted to flow in the strategic telecom sector operated (and maintained) by foreign owned tech giants using their own hardwares and softwares, it will give those foreign nation/entities the ability to access and accumulate data of the host country and use them to manipulate the internal affairs, in a manner un-imaginable till now. This indeed, constitute a huge threat to national security. Author informs the readers shockingly that India is already neck deep into this mighty crisis and national security is getting dangerously compromised as its ICT infrastructure and architecture is preponderantly dominated by Chinese hardware/software opted for by authorities most unwisely without any forethought because they came cheap in the last decades.
As per author, India has 400 million smartphone users, majority of them are of Chinese origin. Even our telecom giant like Gio uses entirely Chinese equipment for its Wifi and other services. By this reckoning, Chinese domination of India’s mobile and ICT ecosystem is complete and gives it the capacity to carry out surveillance over 70% of smart phone and internet users in India. This is the alarming reality India faces today.
Author has divided his book into three broad chapters of which the first two are dedicated to build up the geopolitical and historical context in which this spectacular and unprecedented great powers struggle is being played out for world domination in the cyberspace which the author calls “the new common” (p. ). Credit must be given to his in-depth and accurate understanding of the world geopolitics to be able to give such a sweeping, yet crystal clear recount of this epic power struggle through the ages, on such a huge canvas of the history from classical antiquity till today in one stroke of pen in such a short space. His depiction of the scramble to dominate the sea, then air, then space, finance and now the cyberspace is fascinating by all academic standards.
The third chapter is more technical, peppered with statistics and gives very unambiguous and precise prescriptions , measures and policy initiatives that author feels the govt must take forthwith to put India back into the reckoning in this race without any further delay as the time left for action is fast running out. He has also offered very well thought out and carefully crafted two excellent models/options that the nation can adopt to become atmanirbhar in ICT sphere mobilising India’s own pool of scientific talent, resources, and entrepreneurship. As per author – “innovation eco-system, in ICT requires participation from five key stakeholders, these include government, academia, corporate, venture capital and entrepreneurs as each has an important role to play in this model.” (p. 54)
While US and China seem to follow a bipolar model of new world order, India stands for multipolarity in world affairs. However, this does not preclude the fact that in Asia a fierce Indo-China competition for influence is pre-destined and un-avoidable. Though Indo US strategic interests, at the moment, have converged to counter balance China, in long run, as India becomes stronger, superpower instincts of US will sure view India as its potential rival in world affairs. Under these circumstances merely shifting India’s Chinese dependence in ICT in favour of west, will be highly myopic and detrimental for long term Indian interests.
It is ironical that the restructuring envisioned by the author is bound to face resistance from none other than the affected entrenched powerful lobbies within the Indian establishment and mercantile environment that will sure, by various stratagem try to prevent the restructuring suggested in this book. Notwithstanding this book will go down in history as a timely wake up call for those who hold the destiny of the nation in their hands.
A must read book for all those who concern themselves with the future wellbeing of India.
RS Mehta
Abc