Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], November 22 : The Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, Himachal Pradesh University, under the guidance of Chairman Dr Vikas Singh, organised a collaborative lecture on Chinese strategic culture and Chinese thinking on managing border crises with the Gyan Chakra think tank on Wednesday.
In the session, Maj General (Dr) Mandeep Singh, SM, VSM joined as a resource person. General Mandeep enlightened students and research fraternity on China's "Shih" concept as a strategy.
The concept of "Shih" is a key term in The Art of War by Sun Tzu. It refers to the ever-changing balance of power in one's environment. A skilled general can use "Shih" to achieve victories effortlessly.
As China's influence on international affairs via debt trap has continued to grow, more and more people have become concerned about the intentions behind its actions.
Several theories offer potential insights into the reasons behind Chinese actions in places like the South China Sea. Shih is one of those concepts. Shih is a holistic idea that refers to the advantage gained from the manipulation of context.
Sun Tzu famously taught that "to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."
Instead of using military force to subjugate another society or defeat an enemy's army, Shih operates to convince an opponent to yield without battle. Instead of using weapons and strength to destroy an enemy, Shih prefers to threaten, manipulate, or deter. Shih can cause an enemy to accept compliant terms without fighting.
General Mandeep presented his views on the strategic culture of China's "Middle Kingdom" mindset and its belief in a "pacifist nation." He also enlightened students on China's military strategy with reference to the present scenario in Asia. The officer focused his talk on disseminating knowledge and why it's difficult to understand Chinese strategic culture to a large extent.
The session was coordinated by Assistant Professor Binesh Bhatia with Gyan Chakra Think Tank.
More than 35 students from Defence and Strategic Studies, HP University and stakeholders joined the session online. In the end, Director Gen Amarjit Singh proposed a vote of thanks and gifted a copy of the annual journal published by Think Tank as a token of gratitude to the resource person.
Dr Vikas extended heartfelt wishes to Gyan Chakra think tank for this meaningful session and proposed more such academic associations in the future as well.
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