China's Doklam Shove: Handle Tactfully
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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The stand-off between India and China at the Doklam tri-junction was precipitated by China ignoring the agreement and moving in. Now, it wants India to recede and accuses it of occupying Bhutanese territory. It has also accused India of trampling upon the Panchsheel agreement. By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2017-07-06 18:44:32
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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Coming from China, these accusations seem laughable. For, ignoring all international conventions including bilateral agreements like Panchsheel, China has for long never hidden its insatiable desire to occupy Indian territory in Arunachal and many other areas of North-East India.
In the current stand-off at Doklam, Indian troops have not moved an inch. They are occupying the same position in the Chumbi valley as they have been doing for years. It is the Chinese who want to control the area as it will give them a corridor right up to Siliguri in West Bengal. India cannot afford to back off here.
Hence, India has done well to ignore Chinese threats and hold on to its position without escalating matters. But since three weeks have passed without a resolution, the stand-off can turn dangerous at any moment. It is important that leaders of both countries arrive at a negotiated political resolution.
The Chinese side is rumoured to be in the mood to pressurize India as a punishment for not attending or willing to cooperate in its OBOR programme. The Chinese official media is becoming increasingly strident in criticizing India in recent times. Chinese premier Xi is also under pressure as his proximity to the North Koreans is increasingly being viewed with suspicion in the West and he is also going to face the 19th party congress in October. The mood in China is to bring India in line by applying all kinds of pressure.
But as Arun Jaitley said, the India of 2017 is radically different from that of 1962 when the Chinese could make rapid advances and defeat us in a war. China knows that any war at this point of time will be debilitating for both nations. Hence, it is in the interest of both nations to reach a political solution to the Doklam issue.
