TALKS between Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh in Moscow on Friday, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization defense ministers’ meeting, ended with each side calling on the other to practice restraint. So all being well, if commanders in the field heed their urgings, it could be the case that when the two countries’ chief diplomats meet this week at the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting, the two sides’ frontline troops along the Line of Actual Control will have disengaged, de-escalated and restored peace and tranquility. That would be a positive development, since the current state of affairs along the LAC, the de facto border between the two countries, is no doubt grim. Since tensions flared in May, especially after the fatal conflict at Galwan Valley in June, the areas of friction along the LAC have extended dramatically. The hostile atmosphere that has developed threatens to brew new, uglier encounters along the LAC. Judging from the message delivered by Wei and Singh, decision-makers both in Beijing and New Delhi are aware of the harmful potential, and are striving to prevent that, as a war between the two neighbors, respectively the world’s most and second-most populous nations, would be devastating.
If there’s anything certain and unequivocal in the defense ministers’ remarks, this is it. Neither side wants things to escalate, though both insist the other is “responsible”, and should do more. This is why, despite United States President Donald Trump’s offer to mediate, neither country has shown any interest.
“China and India have the ability to resolve their border disputes bilaterally,” said a spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in India. “We don’t accept countries outside the region pointing fingers, let alone meddling or making instigations, which will only endanger the regional peace and stability.” Embroiled in a nasty tug-of-war with Washington that ranges from trade to geopolitical interests, the last thing Beijing wants to see is Washington getting involved. Since Beijing has reasons to doubt the latter’s motivation and impartiality. More important, however, is the two Asian giants’ confidence that the intrinsically non-intrusive nature of their cultures will prevent any impulsive military recklessness. Both have learned from their brief border war decades back. Good neighborly ties have served both sides well, and won’t easily be abandoned considering both parties’ need for a peaceful environment for development. But with relations between Beijing and New Delhi at their lowest point in decades, it is imperative that they manage the tensions at the frontline flash points.
With the Indian troops on the border having been reportedly fired up by the blind patriotism of the Indian public, which in turn has been fueled by the jingoism of the Indian media, it is imperative the Indian government cool down the nationalist fervor lest it be the tail that wags the dog.
– China Daily
