According to press statements issued by the respective Foreign Ministries in New Delhi and Beijing on Monday, the process of disengagement along the Line of Actual Control has begun. The troops have started to pull back. Unnamed sources in New Delhi were quoted by sections of the media that the Chinese have removed tents and withdrew troops from Galwan Valley, the site of the deadly June 15 hand-to-hand clashes which caused the death of 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese soldiers. The reported pullback follows a two-hour conversation between the National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday. Wang is his country’s special representative for talks with India on the long-simmering border issue. The two official statements claimed that there was agreement to ‘take guidance from the consensus of the leaders that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas was essential for further development of our bilateral relations and that two sides should not allow differences to become disputes.’ The two agreed to ‘complete the disengagement process expeditiously.’ Reports said there was no pull back by the Chinese from Finger 4 to Finger 8 which they had occupied along the Pangong Tso (Lake) sometime in mid-April and early May. The limited pullback by both sides from Galwan Valley ought to be welcome if it helps lower the tension between the two militaries. Full-force mobilisation by India following the Chinese occupation of the disputed territory on the Indian side of the LAC is meant to underline the country’s readiness for any eventuality to defend its territorial sovereignty.
Other tough measures, such as the ban on 59 Chinese Apps and mandatory prior clearance for Chinese investments, etc., too were steps in the same direction. The Prime Minister’s tour of the forward areas and his address at the Leh base of the army on Friday strengthened only one message to China: India will not yield, come what may. Of course, even if the Chinese were militarily and economically stronger, armed hostilities will inflict huge costs on them as well, hurting them at a time when their economy is slowing down and internationally they face resistance for their aggressive ways in Hong Kong, Europe, North America and South-East Asia. Xi Jinping’s China seems to be at war with the whole world, fighting with western nations over Huawei and bullying relatively smaller economies such as the Australian by threatening to ban imports should they seek accountability over the spread of the coronavirus. This is not to suggest that the de-escalation at the LAC is linked to all or none of the above factors. But these factors help insofar as India can rely on global forums to lend it support against a belligerent China. On its part, China is following a duplicitous approach. The gratuitous claim on Bhutanese territory was in all probability meant to browbeat the peaceful kingdom to stay neutral in the Indo-China border dispute. The Chinese lay claim to a wildlife sanctuary which all along had been an integral part of Bhutan.
The point is that despite the reported disengagement in the Galwan Valley, it will be a mistake to trust the Chinese. The Indian military will have to physically verify whether they have actually pulled back from the areas they had occupied illegally. Meanwhile, it is significant that on the Dalai Lama’s 85th birthday, the Administrator of the Union Territory of Ladakh, as also the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh extended greetings. China disputes India’s claim over both Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. The General Secretary of the ruling party, Ram Madhav, too tweeted good wishes to the spiritual leaders of Tibetans. In the wake of the Galwan Valley clash, there have been calls for bestowing the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, on the globally-respected leader of all Tibetans. The Chinese see red at the very mention of the Dharmshala-based Dalai Lama, accusing him of fomenting trouble in the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region. Notably, neither the Prime Minister nor any of his ministers officially extended birthday greetings to him. But the fact that two key functionaries of the Indian State did is enough to send a signal that India too has several arrows in its quiver to harass and embarrass China should it mulishly persist on the path of confrontation. Meanwhile, do not expect the de-escalation to be completed any time soon. It can be painfully slow with several ups and downs on the way. But, as of now, the chances of an immediate military face-off are rather slim.
