By Ashok B Sharma
The relationship between India and China is a contentious issue. The boundary issue between the two nations is a longstanding problem. China has the concept of expansionism. It does not follow the Mac-Mahan Line and Johnson Line drawn by the erstwhile British colonial rulers in consultation with relevant parties. But in regard to Myanmar, it agrees on Mac Mahan Line, not in the case with India. As a result in 1962, China defied these two lines, invaded and occupied large chunks of Indian territory. Thus the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was drawn between the two countries. Still not satisfied with the occupation, Beijing claims parts of Indian territory like Ladakh and Arunachal as its own. Chinese expansionism is not the concept of Chinese Communist Party alone, it existed with the imperialist dynasties and the Nationalist Kuomintang Party also.
Beijing refuses to accept the LAC and the buffer zone between the two countries. There has been skirmishes along the LAC many times. The recent one was in June 2020 when COVID pandemic was at its peak around the globe. Incidentally Xi Jinping visited India in 2019 to have an interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu a few months before the military standoff at Galwan valley in June 2020. The incident at Galwan valley took a toll of 20 Indian brave hearts and killed or injured about 40 Chinese soldiers. Number of agreements were signed at Mahabalipuram. Modi and Xi Jinping never interacted since then till the BRICS meeting this month.
Just before the 16th BRICS Summit at Kazan in Russia, New Delhi and China resolved to disengage their troops at both sides of only Demchok and Depsang plain and not other friction points. Troops of both sides will fall back to positions they held in April 2020, and they will patrol areas where they patrolled till April 2020. This was a gesture to have peace and tranquillity at the border. China probably wants to concentrate on Taiwan issue at the moment rather than focusing on boundary dispute with India. Another thing was to have an interaction with Modi at the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
Disengagement of troops have already begun at Demchok and Depsang plain and is slated to be completed by this month end. But the moot question remains is what about other areas like Gogra-Hot Springs in Ladakh. Intelligence sources say that China continues to hold large swathes of India territory to the north in the Depsang plains. A similar agreement should be worked out for in Arunachal Pradesh where a standoff developed in Yangtse, Asaphila and Subansi valleys. Depsang is critical for India since it provides access to the strips at Daulat Beg Oldie and prevents Chinese troops from threatening vital logistics centres in the area. Demchok is divided in two by the LAC, India controls the western part, which is claimed by China.
According to sources, in Depsang area, the Indian troops should now be able to patrol beyond the ‘bottleneck’ area as the Chinese had been preventing Indian troops from accessing the patrolling points that lay beyond. In Demchok, Indian troops should now be able to get to the patrolling points at Track Junction and Charding Nullah.
Next after disengagement, the issues of de-escalation, sanctity of buffer zones and border management remain. The issues remain to be resolved when the Special Representatives of both sides – India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meet.
After the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, “PM Modi welcomed the recent agreement on complete disengagement and resolution of the issues that arose in the India-China border areas in 2020. He emphasized the need to handle differences and disputes responsibly, ensuring they do not disrupt peace and tranquillity. Both leaders agreed that the Special Representatives on the boundary question will meet soon to manage peace and work toward a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable solution. Additionally, dialogue mechanisms at the Foreign Minister and official levels will be employed to stabilize and rebuild bilateral relations.
During the bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Russia, on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “We are having a formal meeting after 5 years. We believe that the India-China relationship is very important not only for our people but also for global peace, stability and progress. We welcome the consensus reached on the issues that have arisen in the last 4 years on the border. Maintaining peace and stability on the border should remain our priority. Mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity should remain the basis of our relations.”
The issues need to be resolved are – What would happen to the buffer zones like the site of a memorial in Rezang La to war hero Shaitan Singh, a Param Vir Chakra awardee? Will Indian graziers once again be given the right to access traditional grazing grounds in Mukpa Re, Helmet Top, Rezang La, Table Top, Rinchen La and Gurung Hills in Chushul? Can Indian troops be able to patrol up to the claim line in Depsang to five patrolling points pass the Bottleneck junction, three patrolling points in Demchok, Finger3 and Finger 8 in Pangong Tso and three patrolling in Gogra-Hot Spring area as they were able to do earlier?
So there is nothing to be ballistic about the positivity of the India-China statement on LAC issued n October 21. China has conceded a small portion, it has kept under its control other Indian land. Indian negotiators have to pursue these remaining issues in the coming talks. China has the policy of two steps forward and one step backward to confuse India. Indian Government should not fall in that trap. (IPA Service)
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