Indo-Chinese Relations: Reiterating Known Positions
The India Commentary view
View all posts by this Author
By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2022-03-26 06:58:36
About the Author
The India Commentary view
View all posts by this Author
The Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi visited India neither to bring a special message on ending the LAC standoff nor to press the reset button in Indo-Chinese relations. Indeed, the main purpose of his visit seems to have been to invite Prime Minister Modi to the Brics (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) Summit to be held in Beijing later this year. For all the Chinese overtures for 'normalizing relations' with India, the fact remains that they want such normalization to happen despite the present conflicting situation at the LAC which is definitely to India's disadvantage.
India can never agree to that. Foreign minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval did well to tell Wang that unless there was de-escalation and disengagement of troops at the LAC (with restoration of status quo as it existed in April 2020), there cannot be any normalization of relations. The Chinese side says they respect India's traditional role in Asia but they are doing everything to undermine it. They want India to agree to the tiff at the LAC as just another friction point in bilateral relations and work for a broader resolution. But India has always maintained that all other issues must be taken up only after the present conflict, which happened due to illegal Chinese ingression, is resolved.
China must show the intention of resolving the current standoff at the LAC by retreating to positions it held prior to April 2020. Any process to normalize relations, including a civilization dialogue as proposed by them, can only happen if both sides are free from pressure. At present, the pressure is on India due to the Chinese ingression in Ladakh. This is not the right time to have a broader discussion on bilateral relations with the thorn of the conflict at the LAC pricking India. Since his visit was the first high level in-person interaction between the two countries, it was expected that something, however little, positive might emerge from it. But Wang Yi's visit served no other purpose than both sides reiterating their known positions.
