AFTER repealing another covert aggression by the Chinese forces in Sikkim on January 20, 2021, India has showed remarkable progress in its strategy to deal with the diabolical neighbour. The ingression had come on the same lines of the Galwan misadventure on June 2020 but this time the Indian troops had already prepared for all clandestine overtures by the PLA forces. India’s firmness against China’s expansionist plans is coming out in a profound manner throughout the long stand-off. And if the latest outlining of principles for mending of the Indo-China relations by External Affairs Minister Mr. S Jaishankar are to be seen in this context then India has made it pretty clear that anything that China does will not be overlooked or go unpunished.

 

Mr. Jaishankar has a first-hand experience of the way China thinks and acts on its foreign policy. Being the longest-serving diplomat to China over the last decade, the External Affairs Minister is in a better position to shape India’s response to Beijing’s imperialism. Words and their underlining meaning play a vital role in diplomacy. And career diplomats like Mr. Jaishankar use their gift of gab to a telling effect to send a message across. At the 13th All India Conference of China Studies, Mr. Jaishankar lucidly spelled out that status quo ante at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in east Ladakh was the only solution to repair strained relations between the two countries.

 

The Minister outlined eight principles to achieve betterment in the overall ties and all were based on the foundation of mutual respect as well as sensitivity to each other’s interests. These two areas entail a magnanimous show of probity where Beijing has failed miserably. The developments in Ladakh are proof of China’s disregard for commitments. It has shown great propensity to breach peace and tranquillity of a sovereign neighbour. Against this backdrop, expecting a democratic process of talks for disengagement of troops is a wishful thinking. All these development make it imperative for New Delhi to keep reminding China that it has to acknowledge, even if grudgingly, India as an equal global competitor and not just another regional South Asian player. Mr. Jaishankar has managed to sound the bells in Beijing through the eight principles.

 

Never had the India-China relations stretched to such a tantalising level since the 1962 war as they are at this moment. Both the countries are at the crossroads and now stand at a point to make the right choices. The onus is clearly on Beijing to opt for the saner choice and scale back troops and artilleries from all the border regions for a happy ending. Any further misdeed will have big repercussion for the entire world as India is determined to stand up to Mr. Xi Jinping’s imperialism. China has to adhere to all past agreements and desist from any unilateral change of status quo, for, any new agreement with India will now be based on credibility. And it calls for the past understandings to be honoured in letter and spirit.

 

Over the last year, India has been consistently reminding China that both are important constituents of the global order and can coexist peacefully while achieving the targeted growth. But the concept of Middle Kingdom is weighing too heavy on the minds of the Chinese leadership which is reluctant to acknowledge the rise of India as a global player worth its salt. Despite setbacks at the international level on the economic and diplomatic front, China seems to have taken out the option of reconciliation from its thinking. In these circumstances it becomes important for India to raise its stakes with regional as well as extended alliances to build a strong counter front.

 

‘The India Way’ does not see bilateral relationship as a one-way street. The sooner China realises it and recalls its troops the better it is for the overall situation in the South Asian region. Mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests, outlined by Mr. Jaishankar, will form the core of future ties between India and China if Beijing is ready to wake up and smell coffee.