NEW DELHI: The 16th round of India-China Corps Commander-level talks last Sunday failed to make any headway towards returning to the May 2020 positions in eastern Ladakh.
Experts believe that the Chinese are making it clear that they will stay on. In fact, India will have to be wary of the fast-growing Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean.
Maj-Gen SB Asthana (Retd) says the PLA is consolidating its positions wherever it is present in eastern Ladakh.
“That makes one believe that they are unlikely to go back,” he said, adding there could be minor disengagement from the present positions.
The stalemate has persisted since the 13th round of talks that took place on October 10. Until the 12 round of talks, soldiers from both sides had disengaged from Gogra (Patrolling Point 17A).
Before it, the troops had disengaged from Galwan (PP 14) and the north and south banks of Pangong Lake. It was due at Hot Springs (PP 15).
However, the Chinese have their troops in Depsang, blocking patrol points 10, 11, 11A, 12 & 13. The standoff began in May 2020 and the Chinese have no intentions to go back to the pre-May 2020 position, says Commodore Anil Jai Singh (Retd). “We should be strengthening our positions in the Indian Ocean,” he said.
“With time the Chinese are picking their weaknesses and are bridging them by building capabilities, logistics and reinforcements,” he said.
In the coming years, the Chinese will consolidate their presence in the Indian Ocean. This can be gauged from the way they are expanding their naval assets, says Commodore Singh.
“In addition to keeping a continuous presence of the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean, Pakistan is being armed with sophisticated warships and submarines to keep them as their proxy,” he said. The solution lies at political levels, he says.
“The Corps Commanders can discuss the specifics on the ground, but the resolution will come from our political leaders but it is not happening. If the foreign ministers of two countries are meeting and it’s not happening, what will the Corps Commanders do?” he asked.
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Bali on July 7 and, in addition to the other issues, discussed the resolution of the border standoff.