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Shortly before he left for Beijing to get acquainted with the new Chinese leadership External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told Chinese media that both governments showed maturity and understanding in tackling the ‘face-to-face’ situation in eastern Ladakh because...
they had acquired a “fundamental understanding of each other.” The two countries have arrived at “a new equilibrium” in bilateral dealings, sources said.
And while the Chinese state-run Global Times carried a photo feature in their web edition saying the "border dispute would dominate the India-China talks" during Khurshid’s visit, informed sources said India had never removed the boundary issue from the bilateral agenda. However, according to the sources, “curious” features about the Chinese intrusion into Depsang made their motives unclear.
If, as some reports suggest, the idea was to bring the disputed boundary issue centrestage, it was ‘curious’ that the Chinese patrols pitch their tents around 15 kms from their nearest base, with no visible supply chains, the sources said. The ‘intrusion’ was clearly not a military threat, sources indicated, and there was no question of India not being aware of the “sudden appearance of three tents and a dog,” as one government source said. Within a couple of hours on April 15 Indian troops had pitched their tents and were ‘face-to-face’ with the Chinese intruders.
While the diplomatic channels were being worked, Indian troops moved around 8 kms from their base in Chumar and set a forward “viewing post”, comprising a tin roof and walls, on April 18. It was “a tactical move,” sources said, to provide a “face-saver” as this “post” could be easily dismantled. That, and the fact that India’s Ambassador to China, S Jaishankar, repeatedly informed the Chinese authorities that it would not be business as usual and, indeed, could lead to high level visits being called off, weighed with China’s decision to vacate the Depsang bulge.
If the intention was to coerce India to discuss a border defence coordination mechanism, then that, too did not succeed, because New Delhi dug its heels in and insisted that there would be no discussions until the status quo was restored.
Another “curious” feature, sources said, was that the Chinese did not all appear to be speaking in one voice. Voices on the spot at flag meetings were not completely in sync with voices in Beijing. Nobody in either Beijing or on the boundary at flag meetings raised the issue of India’s forward defences and infrastructure build-up, the sources said.
India remains cool to the proposal of a Border Defence Coordination mechanism, being mooted by Beijing, and the issue is unlikely to come up during Khurshid’s ongoing visit.
What will be high on the agenda, sources said, is trade and improved market access for Indian pharmaceuticals and IT. Also, continued maintenance of peace and tranquillity along the border with more specific measures to deal with incidents like the one at Depsang will form part of the discussions, as will an attempt to get Beijing to agree to a mechanism on discussing a framework for river waters.
Talking points for Prime Minister Li Keqiang’s first visit abroad, to India, on May 20, will also be finalised during Khurshid’s visit.
After India and China ended their three-week long face-off in eastern Ladakh and returned to the status quo that prevailed prior to April 15, it was apparent that no "deal" had been struck, with even the Chinese confirming that the "stand off incident" had been “terminated" through “mutual consultations.”
"To keep them (disputes) at a proportional level and contain them as limited and localised, and not necessarily part of large scheme of things, it's important to have a fundamental understanding of each other. We have developed that for years and that's a wonderful thing," state-run China Radio International quoted Khurshid as saying.
Khurshid, who called his visit a “great opportunity,” is scheduled to hold talks with his counterpart Wang Yi and meet new Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. India and China had developed a very sound relationship over the past decade, he said, adding that he hoped bilateral ties would be enhanced under China's new leadership.
"The first signals that have come from the new Chinese leadership are extremely positive and welcome and will be reciprocated in full substance from us. We are looking forward to a meaningful decade working with the new leadership of China," the Indian External Affairs Minister said.
Nilova Roy Chaudhury is Editor-in-Chief of the Indian Review of Global Affairs