NEW DELHI: India and China will sit down on Monday for the seventh round of military talks in another attempt to work on steps to preserve an uneasy truce amid unprecedented tensions on the border between the two countries.
According to analysts, expectations of a “breakthrough” were low with doubts about what could constitute a “breakthrough under current circumstances, seen as a state of tension unprecedented in decades. The thinking in some quarters was that a” advance “would mean a restoration of the status quo ante – that is, China vacates the areas where the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) meddled in May. Another view in New Delhi was that a restoration of the status quo would mean that India would move away. of some strategic positions he had taken in Ladakh, on the shores of Lake Pangoing Tso, surprising the Chinese.
The Indian delegation to Monday’s talks will be led by Lieutenant General Harinder Singh of the Leh-based 14th Indian Army Corps which is charged with overseas security for the Ladakh sector. The discussions, to be held in Chushul on the Indian side of the Royal Line of Control (LAC), will include Lieutenant General PGK Menon, who is expected to replace Singh this month. The Indian delegation will also have a senior diplomat in charge of the China office, Naveen Srivastava, who was part of the team for discussions with the Chinese on September 21 in Moldo.
“I don’t expect any respite from these talks,” said Srikanth Kondapalli, a professor of Chinese studies at New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University. He added that his expectations were “low” from this round of talks. India’s goal would be to see that an “uncomfortable calm” can be maintained since early September. With winter approaching, there was a small window that China could use to make any move to surprise New Delhi and turn the existing situation in its favor. This would be something that India would try to avoid, he said. “Both sides are preparing for the long term,” he said, referring to preparations made by India and China to stay on the front line.
The India-China talks on Monday coincide with the visit of US Under Secretary of State Stephen Biegun to New Delhi. The three-day visit begins on Monday. “Based on Secretary Pompeo’s October 6 meeting with the Indian Foreign Minister
S. Jaishankar and ahead of the 2 + 2 Ministerial Dialogue between the United States and India later this year, Undersecretary Biegun’s commitments in India will focus on promoting the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership between the United States and India and how the United States and India they can work together to move forward. peace, prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the world, “said a statement from the US State Department last week.
The visit closely follows a meeting of the group of countries called “Quad” (United States, Australia, India and Japan) on October 6 in Tokyo. At the meeting, the United States denounced Chinese aggression in the region. including the South China Sea and on the India-China border. However, India, Japan and Australia were more circumspect in their comments: They did not mention China while speaking of respect for sovereignty, freedom of navigation and resilient supply chains.
According to people familiar with the events, the “2 + 2” talks between India and the US, that is, between the Foreign and Defense ministers, are expected to focus on consolidating US-India relations. But China would be an important talking point in the context of -political challenges facing the United States and India Indian and American officials and leaders have had many phone conversations since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, as well as the increased tensions between India and China.
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