Editorial: Stern message to Beijing

Mutual respect in the relations between India and China is premised on the prevalence of peace at the borders

Hyderabad: There can be no improvement in the bilateral relationship with China unless it takes credible and measurable steps to disengage its troops and de-escalate tensions in eastern Ladakh. This clear and unambiguous message has been delivered, in blunt terms, to visiting Chinese Defence Minister General Li Shangfu. India’s position was made clear to him on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting held in New Delhi. This is the first visit by a Chinese defence minister to India since the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) made multiple intrusions into eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020, which led to the bloody clash in Galwan Valley in June that year and subsequent deterioration in the bilateral relations. Beijing has been blatantly flexing its muscles and demonstrating its territorial hegemony by frequent incursions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Understandably, cold vibes marked the meeting between Rajnath Singh and Shangfu that came four days after the marathon 18th round of corps commander-level talks between the two sides which failed to achieve any breakthrough. It must be pointed out that mutual respect in the relations between India and China is premised on the prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders. But, the violation of existing agreements on the part of Beijing has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations. The sooner China realises that all issues relating to the LAC can be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments, the better it would be for the growth of the bilateral relations.

The onus is surely on China to bring the bilateral relations back on track. India has been advocating a sequential process of disengagement, de-escalation and de-induction of the over 50,000 troops each forward-deployed by the two sides along the frontier in eastern Ladakh with heavy weapon systems. While both countries have disengaged from the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra and the Hot Springs areas since the stand-off began in May 2020, tensions continue in Depsang Plains and Demchok. Moreover, while troops have disengaged at several locations along the LAC, they continue to remain deployed in forward areas, along with their armoured and artillery equipment. India has sought de-escalation, which would entail the return of all additional troops and equipment in forward areas to their pre-April 2020 positions. In the last few years, China has been blatantly displaying its territorial hegemony by stepping up construction activity along the Himalayan frontier, sparking major security concerns in India. Construction of bases, including new dual-use airports, has also gathered pace ever since the Ladakh standoff. For India, it is a long way to go if it has to catch up with China on border infrastructure. The attempted Chinese incursion in the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh last December has once again highlighted the urgency for augmenting the border infrastructure.

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