The stand-off between India and China reminds us of the 1962 Chinese incursion into North East India. Three flag meetings have been held between Indian and Chinese military commanders but the meetings have remained inconclusive. The tension continues in Ladakh’s Depsang plains. Army Chief General Bikram Singh had earlier briefed the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on the matter and shared details of China’s demands. On the face of it, China’s intransigence is matched by India’s internal predicament of not knowing how to take on the Chinese. The situation continues to remain tense and China is unrelenting. Surprisingly despite this near diplomatic fiasco External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid is still scheduled to visit China on May 9. The question being posed today is whether Khurshid’s visit can be de-linked from the border issue and what would be the contours of the discussion between the two countries.
Interestingly the visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang too is on track. He will arrive in New Delhi on May 19 and is expected to meet with several Indian leaders. Li is also visiting Mumbai on May 21 for a meeting with business leaders before heading to Pakistan. An advance team from China is currently in Delhi, and all clearances have been obtained. This has created a peculiar situation for India but it seems to be a ball game that China has learnt to play very well. India is caught in a bind. Although efforts to resolve the issue continued at the diplomatic level with Indian and Chinese officials holding discussions over the phone, there has not been much headway. The Indian ambassador in Beijing is believed to have been in touch with Chinese officials to find a way to return to the status quo before April 15.
India’s emphasis that the border issue be localized and not allowed to spread is a futile bid to dictate terms to a country which had once, similarly flouted the rules of international diplomacy and launched an attack on an unsuspecting India. China’s demand now is for India to stop building border infrastructure in Chumar. China also has a problem with Indian airfields in Daulat Beg Oldie and Fukche. It remains to be seen how this matter resolves itself and what Khurshid’s China visit portends for the country.
