Chinese duplicity on de-escalation along the LAC
Two different thought threads on the Sino-Indian situation were articulated on Wednesday, one of which was of exasperation while the other had a global context. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar shared his irritation over China giving ‘five differing explanations’ for amassing troops along the LAC in Ladakh, forcing India to militarise the border on its side.
At present, there are an estimated 50,000 soldiers at stand-off points along the LAC on both sides. While they are not in eyeball-to-eyeball range, the physical distance between the two sides is not comfortable either. A flurry of diplomatic and military-level engagements, for de-escalation before the harsh Himalayan winter set in, came to naught despite joint statements and accords that were loaded with pious intentions but never got implemented.
As a harried Jaishankar pointed out, bilateral agreements notwithstanding, there is a singular lack of will on the other side to alter the ground situation. If the pandemic earlier and the extreme winter frost now are not deterrent enough, what else could be? It now appears that staying put in the icy Himalayan heights will be the new normal.
The human cost will be enormous but that is the price the sentinels are paying to avenge the Galwan sacrifice. Jaishankar’s observations come at a time when knowledgeable circles are questioning his stewardship at the ministry.
In Moscow, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov sought to deconstruct the US game plan in South Asia by claiming India is currently an object of the West’s ‘persistent, aggressive and devious policy’ to engage it in anti-China activities by promoting Indo-Pacific strategies, especially the Quad.
But India is a major player in the global chessboard, not a pawn. It has the right to choose alliances keeping its supreme national interest in mind. Which is why New Delhi continues to pursue the S-400 missile defence shield deal despite US sanctions on Russia.
Chinese duplicity on the LAC indicates its reading of India moving into a threat zone. Its ambassador’s frequent inane rhetoric on the possibility of the dragon and the elephant tangoing is not even worth a smile. As for India, restoring peace and tranquillity cannot be a one-way street. Going back to status quo ante will be one hell of a long haul.