Trust deficit remains in India-China ties

An agreement on resolving the standoff in Ladakh was reached on 21 October, just prior to the Brics summit in Kazan, Russia, paving the way for a Narendra Modi-Xi Jinping dialogue at the venue.

- HARSHA KAKAR

The Chinese readout of the meeting said, "President Xi stressed that China-India relations are essentially a question of how the two large developing countries and neighbours, each with a 1.4-billion-strong population, treat each other."

It added, "The two sides agreed to make good use of the Special Representatives (SR) mechanism on the China-India boundary question, ensure peace and tranquillity in border areas, and find a fair and reasonable settlement." Both sides had by then pulled back to their original positions and agreed on recommencement of coordinated patrolling, which has since been underway. In other locations where disengagement has already taken place, buffer zones remain, implying that a final resolution is still some distance away.

The decision by China, which waded in four years ago, to withdraw to its pre-Galwan deployment, has been considered by some as a victory for India. This is based on the fact that China failed to change the status quo of the LAC and the fact that India refused to bend. This may not be a true assessment.

China utilized the period of standoff to enhance its infrastructure, increasing its ability to repeat similar intrusions. In all probability, the Chinese were sending a message that they possess the power to ignite the border at will. The current pullback is not the end but possibly a pause before another incident, unless India changes its approach towards countering the Chinese. This implies that India, in the future, must adopt a quid pro quo approach, including intruding in a similar manner.