Despite a recent announcement of something hazily resembling progress, it is probably safe to assume that there has been no actual progress in the talks between China and India about their border.
The Chinese government habitually negotiates in bad faith with the neighbors it is incrementally invading. And there are signs that this is true of the present phase of China and India’s years-long negotiations.
According to Tibetan Review, China and India agree that progress has been made toward “military disengagement between the two sides in eastern Ladakh along Tibet’s border” (September 14, 2024).
While India has called for discussions to continue for “complete disengagement,” China has maintained silence on any such goal, insisting that the border situation was stable and normal bilateral ties should be resumed.
The Chinese remarks came in a Sep 13 Foreign Ministry statement after India’s External Affairs Minister had said in Geneva Sep 12 that roughly 75% of the “disengagement problems” with China in the eastern Ladakh border area with Chinese-ruled Tibet had been sorted out. He went on to say a restoration of peace after complete disengagement was essential for the realization of normal bilateral ties, a precondition China does not agree with….
In its press release after the meeting, India has emphasized that both sides agreed to “work with urgency and redouble their efforts to realize complete disengagement in the remaining areas.” [Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval] has also said that “peace and tranquillity in border areas and respect for the LAC are essential for normalcy in bilateral relations,” calling for adherence to past agreements.
However, China’s readout after the meeting made no mention of “complete disengagement.”…
Tibetan Review says that what we have here is “a fundamental disconnect.” India wants concrete, actual, finalized disengagement, a resolution of the standoff, whereas “China appears reluctant to commit publicly to resolving” the standoff. “This isn’t the first time that the Chinese have gone cold….”
Despite the “fundamental disconnect,” can we say that there has been any actual progress at all in the talks? If there has, it’s probably the kind that if not entirely illusory can be promptly reversed.
Encroachment?
The context we should keep in mind is not only the history of the past few decades but also the history of the past week. A few days ago, Tibetan Review reported on signs that Chinese troops had recently set up camp some 60 kilometers inside Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh. An Indian minister from Arunachal Pradesh, Kiren Rijiju, says that the evidence of camping does not necessarily show encroachment, maybe just overlapping patrolling. “Mere painting of marks in undemarcated locations doesn’t mean the areas have been encroached on.”
His assumption seems to be that the Chinese troops didn’t know where they were, in which case India should ship China some maps and compasses.
On the other hand, the Chinese camps had “markings on rocks with the year 2024 written, a tactic reportedly used by the Chinese military during their incursions into Indian territory to assert claims….”
Also see:
StopTheChinazis.org: “Japan to the Rescue in the South China Sea?”
“Oddly enough, everyone in territorial disputes with China is negotiating, but no one is getting anywhere.”
