Roving Periscope: “Modi, The Immortal,” exclaim the Chinese netizens!
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: While India and China are engaged in a bitter border row since mid-2020, Chinese netizens seem fascinated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi whom they have also given an unusual nickname: “Modi Laoxian.”
In the Chinese language, Laoxian means “an elderly immortal with some amazing abilities.”
According to a March 9 report by Mu Chunshan in The Diplomat, a US-based international online news magazine, Chinese netizens think PM Modi is different – “even more amazing” – than other world leaders.
The Laoxian-like difference is not just in his dressing style and physical appearance, but in some of his policies as compared to his predecessors as well, the Chinese netizens think, according to the media reports.
It is not just his appearance or policies, but the curiosity, astonishment, and “perhaps a dash of cynicism” that he evokes among the Chinese people, which is reflected in the word “Laoxian.”
The Chinese netizens rarely nickname a foreign leader, it said, adding that PM Modi’s stands out above all others. “Clearly he has made an impression on Chinese public opinion.”
Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which has pitted the United States and the West against Moscow, most Chinese netizens feel that PM Modi’s India can maintain a balance among the major countries in the world.
“Whether it is Russia, the US or Global South countries, India can enjoy friendly ties with all of them, which is very admirable to some Chinese netizens,” the article said.
On the whole, the Chinese have no malice toward India, except in relation to the border dispute. The two countries’ armies have been engaged in a stand-off since 2020 following aggressive military actions by Beijing in Eastern Ladakh, violating the agreements to resolve the border dispute.
Ever since Beijing and New Delhi have held 17 rounds of high-level military commanders’ talks to resolve the stand-off.
Not just on the Chinese internet, Prime Minister Modi is well-known in China. He also interacted with the Chinese public through his account on the microblogging site Sina Weibo which he opened in 2015 and had over 2.44 lakh followers.
However, he quit Weibo in July 2020 after New Delhi banned 59 Chinese apps following the border skirmish.
The Chinese views of India are very complicated – but generally based on a sense of superiority and self-confidence. The Chinese netizens’ views on having better ties with India than Pakistan as they believe Beijing’s attempts to use its “all-weather ally” Pakistan as “unrealistic” as the “gap between the two South Asian neighbors is getting wider”.
“The facts over the past nine years have proved that China and India have more room for cooperation. For example, China’s trade with India is worth USD115 billion a year – far more than China’s trade with Pakistan, which sits at around USD 30 billion.”
