India, China LAC standoff talk yields wordplays

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By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, August 15: Nineteenth round of the talks between the military commanders of India and China yielded no outcome except for the fact the two sides affirmed to talk more to resolve the contentious issues in the western sector of the unresolved border between the two countries. The joint statement issued by the two sides inserted “positive and constructive” as wordplays in seemingly a clear strategy to pipe down the tension on the border.

“The 19th round of India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting was held at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on 13-14 August 2023. The two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector. In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward looking manner,” said the joint statement issued by the two countries.
The statement further stated that “they agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels. In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas.”

Barring “positive, constructive, and expeditious”, the talks yielded zero outcome even while the efforts appear to be to pipe down the tension on the LAC. India is expecting Chinese President Xi Jinping to take part in the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi early next month. With India keen to make G20 Summit a grand success, the participation of Xi is being reckoned key to showcase the Indian ability to deal with contentious issues amicably.

Within the diplomatic circles, there appears diminishing hope of hammering to the Chinese side to disengage in the eastern Ladakh sector with admission that Beijing is sticking to its time-tested ‘Salami Slicing’ strategy. With both the countries mobilizing thousands of soldiers across the LAC in eastern Ladakah, Xi is digging in heels to maintain a stalemate over the contentious issues, including patrolling rights of the Indian soldiers in key sectors.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a mention of the fluid geo-political equation in his speech from the ramparts of the red Fort on the occasion of Independence Day celebrations. “The world has begun to think in a new way after the corona period. And I firmly believe that just as after the Second World War, the world formed a new world order, I can clearly see that a new world order, a new global order, a new geo-political equation is rapidly progressing after corona. All interpretations of the geo-political equation are changing, definitions are changing,” said Modi.