It may not have been judicious for India to promptly turn down the proposal for a trilateral dialogue between Delhi, Islamabad and Beijing initiated by Chinese ambassador Luo Zhaohui. Beijing had suggested last year that it could rename the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to overcome Delhi’s objections to the Belt and Road initiative. Envoys do not express personal views and their suggestions may be treated as their governments’. Perhaps the Chinese ambassador was testing the waters. Delhi calls Luo’s views personal. But there is no denying that Beijing is showing interest in improving relations between India and Pakistan. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is to sponsor the move.
India normally gets cold feet about third party mediation between India and Pakistan. Both the US and the UK had all along advocated a bilateral approach. But for decades it has proved abortive. Delhi is apprehensive that big powers could impose a Kashmir solution on India. That, of course, will not be acceptable by either India or Pakistan. But, in today’s political context, India’s reluctance to third party mediation may be a little unwise. This has only compounded the problem and turned it into a hot potato. Third party intervention has now become a common approach. Mongolia sat down with Russia and China. The USA which is now called Unreliable States of America is sending envoys to Korea and China with Russia stepping in to solve the problems of the Korean peninsula. Afghanistan seeks a trilateral resolution of the Taliban Crisis. Delhi should propose a threefold agenda to Beijing. There is no point in going to the table unless what is on the table makes sense.