Chinese temerity

THE irony is not lost on anyone: Chinese negotiators have suggested to India that their troops be allowed to patrol in two sensitive areas along Arunachal Pradesh, even as Chinese soldiers have denied Indian troops access to four patrolling points in eastern Ladakh over the past four years. The Arunachal spots — including one in the Yangtse area north-east of Tawang, where the two sides had clashed in December 2022 — have been under Indian control for decades. Delhi knows very well that if you give Beijing an inch, it will end up taking a mile. The unreasonable demand speaks volumes about China’s dubious intentions. No trade-off or quid pro quo of any sort should be acceptable to India.

Trust deficit continues to define the India-China relationship in the wake of the Galwan clash, even though the two countries have held 21 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks regarding the LAC dispute in eastern Ladakh since June 2020. There have also been 31 meetings of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs. Despite the all-out emphasis on dialogue and communication, disengagement at the friction points of Demchok and Depsang has remained elusive.

The fact that the Chinese have made a demand this time rather than going ahead with a brazen incursion should not lull Delhi into believing that the Dragon has mellowed. India must hold its ground to counter attempts by the People’s Liberation Army troops to change the status quo in Arunachal. Beijing’s sharp reaction to the naming of an Arunachal peak after the 6th Dalai Lama by an Indian mountaineering team has again laid bare its territorial overreach. Chinese temerity stems partly from a dominant position on the trade front — India seems helpless in reducing its heavy dependence on imports from its northern neighbour. The double challenge for India is to stand up to China — militarily as well as economically.