INDIA and China have agreed to stop building up their military presence in the disputed border areas, which raises hopes the tensions between the two countries will finally ease. The agreement was reached on Tuesday after Indian and Chinese military representatives met on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control for the sixth round of commander-level talks. In a statement, the two militaries said they had agreed to strengthen their in-place communication and contact, and stop adding troops to the front line, and they would refrain from changing the in-place situation unilaterally and taking any actions that might complicate the situation. The latest talks between the two border forces were part of the five-point consensus reached between Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization ministerial meeting in Moscow on Sept 10. They agreed the two sides’ border forces “should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions” so as to prevent their differences from escalating into conflict.
But while the outcome of the latest talks is to be welcomed as a step in the right direction, the rapprochement will prove only temporary if the Indian government does not stop fanning the flames of ultra-nationalism in the country. The two sides had reached a consensus to disengage in their earlier talks, yet India continued to send more troops to the border to appease the rising nationalist sentiment among the Indian public. Some Indian politicians have been fanning the flames of this ultra-nationalism by inciting Indian consumers to boycott Chinese products, and in line with Washington’s moves, particularly Chinese apps. But by claiming the spotlight through their jingoism and whipping up a chauvinistic frenzy among the Indian people, they are leading the country down a dangerous path. To quote an old Chinese saying, “He who locks the door is the most suitable person to unlock it.” It is India that has caused all the trouble by letting its troops cross the border and then sending more troops to the border. New Delhi should honor its words and avoid any action that might escalate matters. Only by taking the heat out of public sentiment will it be able to ensure a comprehensive disengagement of troops in the areas of friction, which is necessary to prevent any untoward incident or clash in the future. Failure to do so will result in the genie of ultra-nationalism, freed from the bottle of rationalism, being beyond their control, bringing chaos and unrest to the country and increasing the risk of a dangerous miscalculation on the border. – China Daily
