Arun Joshi
The reality of the day at the Line of Actual Control in strategically located eastern Ladakh is that the physical and tension-ridden military standoff between India and China is continuing, with no immediate signs of any major breakthrough in sight. No overnight miracles were expected after the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping held informal talks on the issue during their meeting on side lines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa on August 24. This was moment of hope, as and when the top leadership talks, some positive results are always expected to emerge.
In continuation of Johannesburg talks, it is expected that the threads which were picked up at Johannesburg, will be taken up in when Chinese president Xi Jinping arrives in New Delhi to attend the G20 summit early next month. India is holding presidency of the grouping.
Delhi signifies a place where the issue can be taken up with greater passion and intensity. Delhi is capital of India, which is hosting the G20 summit of 2023. It offers a great opportunity to both Modi and Xi to hammer out the differences, and address the border issue with greater clarity and understanding. This is not just one-sided affair, though the geopolitical realities oblige Delhi to seek an end to the border tensions at the earliest, while China wants good ties with Delhi for its own interests. Chinese economy is in a bad shape, the investors’ confidence is at lowest ebb, the existing and potential investors have started shifting out of China to other countries. Their most preferred destination is India. China is also locked in so many c other conflicts with the United States of America and other western powers in South China Sea, and its problems with Japan are multiplying. China is in a squeeze but it is unwilling to relent for it belies that the current West-led global order can be neutralised by China only. Its quest for becoming the only superpower in next quarter of century is unquenched.
Delhi has to look after its national interests as it cannot afford to have tensions on its borders of unprecedented scale while hosting the global events
The tensions on borderline with China in Ladakh have become unprecedented because of multiple reasons – nearly 70,000 troops from each side have been deployed in the Himalayan border for more than three years now , the friction points in Democok and Despang plains continue to hurdle in the status quo ante position of pre-April 2020 , the trust has broken and it will take a lot of time to repair even if the current standoff comes to an end . Delhi has more reasons than China to end the stalemate as Chinese troops are using this standoff period to create better infrastructure in the border areas, it is constructing buildings and roads to establish its control in the area, today and even after the anticipated de-escalation and disengagement takes place.
All these issues can be addressed in structured talks between the two countries – Modi and Xi can provide direction for their own national interest and prestige in the world. This is an opportunity for Chinese president to show that he is willing to investment in peace on permanent basis as there lie tremendous benefits for Beijing. China’s spectacular efforts in bringing Saudi Arabi and Iran together on the table and helping them restore their diplomatic ties, combined withs its efforts to become a peace-maker in Middle-East , can go astray if the standoff with India remains in the current state . That will hurt China, aspiring to become a superpower in the unilateral world of its imagination and push for that. A superpower locked in conflicts cannot sustain its vision and imagination .It would serve China if it looks at the realities of geopolitics .India also is emerging a global power, with its status as fifth largest economy in the world, and now by landing its spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 in the south pole of the moon , the first country to do so, has established its credentials as a pioneer in space programmes, and its role as leader of the global south has added to its shine and glow in the world affairs.
So it is for Modi and Xi to come out of the geopolitical circles of encircling each other. The two nations should realize that the new world order demands two Asian giants to resolve their differences. The starting point indeed is addressing the border issue and resolve it as expeditiously as possible.
(Arun Joshi is author of “Eyewitness Kashmir; Teetering on Nuclear War and senior journalist based in Jammu and Kashmir, writes on South Asian affairs)
Disclaimer: This is the personal opinion of the author. The views expressed in this write-up have nothing to do with www.prameyanews.com.
