Doklam standoff: India plans this 'electric shock' for China

While officials refuse to comment that these new moves are aimed against the Chinese, there is plenty of work on the backend to end Chinese dominance.

Union Power Minister, Piyush Goyal had said recently in an interview that the government would invoke the principle of reciprocity while awarding future contracts. This was being read as a move to keep foreign firms, especially the Chinese out of strategic sectors.

These statements are important as India and China are locked in a standoff at Doklam. India realises that war is not the solution, but tightening the screws on China where business is concerned is the way forward as it would hit them the hardest.

India plans to hit China on various fronts. India would demand higher security standards from the Chinese in the telecom sector. It may be recalled that India had last week sought 21 smartphone makers, most of them Chinese to provide details about the security and safety practices.

A TOI report stated that the Central Electricity Authority is in the process of drafting a roadmap for securing India's power stations and smart grid systems against cyber attacks. Further conditions would also be stringent and China would find the going hard.

The CEA maintained that it was not against anyone in particular but added that it is against all who want to tamper with the system. The conditions could require companies to have been present in India for 10 years, have Indian citizens at the top, and a certain period of Indian domicile for employees. Companies may also be asked to disclose source of inputs for transmission systems and mandatory tests for malware, a Reuters report stated.

Moreover India is setting up new rules for power transmission which is aimed at helping the local industry. These new rules would give limited access to foreign players. In fact the new rules would be in line with with the limited access China gives to foreigners in its market. In addition to this the security agencies have implemented various protocols and checks for the Chinese equipment coming into the market. This would make it extremely difficult for the Chinese to operate in India.

While officials refuse to comment that these new moves are aimed against the Chinese, there is plenty of work on the backend to end Chinese dominance. India would gradually hit the Chinese telecom sector which operates in a big way in India. Chinese vendors such as Xiaomi, Lenovo, Oppo, Vivo and Gionee together account for over half of India's $10 billion smartphone market. Seeking details about the security protocols, architecture frameworks, guidelines, standards, etc would make it tough for the Chinese.

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