India, China end impasse, agree to withdraw troops from Doklam

Troop withdrawal takes place ahead of prime minister Modi’s visit to China for BRICS summit

shankar

Shankar Kumar | August 28, 2017 | New Delhi


#Xi Jinping   #Narendra Modi   #China   #India   #Doklam   #BRICS summit  
Prime minister Narendra Modi meeting president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, in Astana, Kazakhstan on June 9 – days ahead of the trouble in Doklam
Prime minister Narendra Modi meeting president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, in Astana, Kazakhstan on June 9 – days ahead of the trouble in Doklam

More than two-month old standoff between India and China on Doklam appears to have been resolved as the two countries have agreed to withdraw their border personnel from the area which lies at the tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China. 

A press statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on August 28 reads: “In recent week, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests….On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going.”
 
This is seen as a significant development taking place just ahead of prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Xiamen in China to attend the 9th BRICS summit scheduled to be held from September 3 to 5. 
 
In the background of threat issued to India by China’s foreign and defence ministries and the Global Times’ daily dose of spewing of vitriol , it didn’t appear that thaw would come so soon in the tense relationship of the two countries. In effect, tension had gone up so high between the two countries that several experts and analysts had begun to express their fear that they might indulge in border skirmish, if not full-fledged war to resolve the issue.
 
Apart from sending their troops to Doklam, both countries had put their air, navy and ground troops on high alert. At one point it seemed that Modi would cancel his September visit to China for the BRICS. There was also a buzz in this regard in New Delhi’s diplomatic corridor. 
 
China’s Communist party’s Congress is expected to be held in November. Xi Jinping and his supporters want to project him as China’s paramount leader like Deng Xiaoping. A fight with India could have posed a problem in that projection, because Jinping, as per sources, despite being very strong within his party’s structure, is facing challenges from the group led by his predecessor Hu Jintao. 
 
On the diplomatic front too, a war with India would have put China’s rise as a powerful and a responsible country in spot. 
Countries like Japan had openly supported India on Doklam, while the US, Britain, France, Germany and Australia were seen standing by New Delhi.  
 
During her visit to India in the third week of July, Australian foreign minister Julia Bishop stirred hornet nest when she told media persons that “this (Doklam) is a long-term dispute … Australia’s position is that territorial disputes should be resolved peacefully between the claimant countries. And in case of maritime disputes, it should be subject to UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea). Likewise with land disputes, these should be resolved peacefully between competing claimants.” Reacting sharply over Julia Bishop’s comment, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang in a regular press conference on July 25 said: “This principle does not apply to current standoff as there is no dispute in the Doklam region.” 
 

Comments

 

Other News

MMRDA proposes formation of Fare Fixation Committee for Metro Lines 2A & 7

Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has proposed the constitution of a Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) for Mumbai Metro Lines 2A and 7, currently operated by Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited (MMMOCL). ‘Fare Fixation’ is mandated under Section 33

‘Op Sindoor not an act of revenge, but a new form of justice’

Emphasizing that Operation Sindoor was not an act of revenge, but a new form of justice, prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday remarked that it was not just an expression of outrage but a display of India`s unwavering strength and determination. He asserted that the nation has adopted a bold approach, s

An ode to the enduring legacy of India’s temple culture

Dynasties of Devotion: The Secrets of 7 Iconic Hindu Temples By Deepa Mandlik (Translated from the Marathi by Aboli Mandlik) HarperCollins, 232 pages, Rs 399

How to improve India’s crèche system

India stands at a pivotal moment, caught between the promise of a demographic dividend and the crisis of gender inequality. While falling fertility rates, rising female education, and increasing labour force participation signal progress, policymakers continue to neglect one of the most invisible yet vital

Why trademarking ‘Operation Sindoor’ is not advisable

The question of whether the name ‘Operation Sindoor’ or even the standalone term ‘Sindoor’ can be registered as a trademark becomes complex and sensitive when viewed through the lens of its prior use by the Indian armed forces in a counter-terrorism operation. In such cases, the iss

JPC on simultaneous elections hold consultations in Maharashtra

The Joint Committee on the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, has conducted extensive consultations with key stakeholders in Maharashtra regarding the feasibility and implications of simultaneous elections.

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now



Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter