India-China Stand-Off: Welcome Disengagement
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2020-06-10 13:46:52
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
Although the resolution is going to take a long time, as a confidence-building measure the withdrawal of troops by China and India from three confrontation points in Ladakh is an excellent development. For one, it proves that the negotiations are moving in the right direction. Although some analysts have pointed out that since the Chinese army had entered deep into the Indian territory (estimates vary, but some say it was nearly 6 to 8 kilometres deep), going back by just 1 or 2 kilometres is a victory for them, they miss the point that any de-escalation from the eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation situation is a hugely positive development. Both sides have moved their troops back at three points in Galwan area. But troops are not being withdrawn immediately at Pangong Tso, the major flare-up point. Instead, a disengagement process is on.
China is known for not budging from its position unless its demands are met. It rarely grants 'concessions' like this before or during negotiations as it always likes to bargain from a position of strength in order to pressurize the opponent into submitting to it. Hence, withdrawing troops and heavy weaponry from confrontation points just before another round of talks is a clear indication that the Chinese are now looking to defuse the tension. India could have insisted on only the Chinese withdrawing from their position as they had transgressed the LAC, but that could have led to the collapse of the talks. Under the circumstances, a mutual withdrawal, though disadvantageous to India, was the best option to carry the negotiations forward. As the next step, army commanders of both sides will meet again today to review matters and decide on further steps to be taken to restore the status quo.
If the status quo, as it existed in April, is restored after the talks, the Chinese will have to move back beyond the LAC as it existed at that time. Hence, even though the Indian troops have withdrawn now, they will reoccupy the territory. It remains to be seen what the Chinese are angling for as occupying some square kilometers of Indian territory does not seem to be the intention. There is some hidden agenda and that will be clear only when diplomatic talks bear fruit. However, an immediate de-escalation of the military stand-off was absolutely necessary and that has been made possible through tough negotiations.
