thestringshredder
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NEW DELHI: A day ahead of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to India, puzzlement prevails on what spurred Chinese intrusion in eastern Ladakh although its after effects increasingly indicate that Beijing has emerged a significant gainer.
Going by Li's comments prior to leaving for Delhi the visit is likely to pass off amid reasonable bonhomie with the Chinese insisting that there are robust mechanisms to ensure military standoffs end in stand downs.
But foreign minister Salman Khurshid's candid comment in Beijing after meeting his Chinese counterpart on May 9 that there is no clarity on the April 15th incursion remains the sum total of official wisdom on the event.
Drawing comfort from the Chinese removing their tents, the Manmohan Singh government has been quick to claim that "status quo ante" has been restored.
The government was rigid in its view that the Chinese army must vacate and pull back, but some things have changed on the ground in eastern Ladakh and it will take a while to figure out if the new posture is permanent.
The two sides seem to have arrived at an agreement, perhaps unspoken, that neither will patrol that particular part of Depsang Valley as long as both keep out.
This means Indian forces will not seek to mark a presence as they have been doing in recent years in an area they see as India's side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) well within its claim lines.
As they attempt to solve the Chinese riddle, Indian agencies find it hard to reconcile recent initiatives like a dialogue on Afghanistan, the desire to make India Li's first port of call and Beijing's preoccupations in the east with the sudden stab into Ladakh.
There is skepticism whether the manoeuvre was a local miscalculation or a larger initiative gone wrong. China's tightly- controlled military hierarchy and the supremacy of the political wing makes this hard to accept.
In weighing options to end the showdown, India was careful to avoid an armed escalation although the Army expressed a quiet confidence while not underestimating the odds.
The episode has certainly jolted the political leadership as it brought home the perils of viewing India's giant neighbour through a conventional prism. Some experts see the Ladakh happenings as an example of Chinese "offensive deterrence" - a slap on the wrist to get a pesky neighbour to fall in line.
Beijing is sure to resent any attempt to seek equivalence on the Tibet or Arunachal borders but the incident will only convince skeptics to seek clearer terms on the ongoing border talks before the LAC is altered bit by bit to India's disadvantage.
Link - India still clueless about trigger behind Chinese incursion - The Times of India
Going by Li's comments prior to leaving for Delhi the visit is likely to pass off amid reasonable bonhomie with the Chinese insisting that there are robust mechanisms to ensure military standoffs end in stand downs.
But foreign minister Salman Khurshid's candid comment in Beijing after meeting his Chinese counterpart on May 9 that there is no clarity on the April 15th incursion remains the sum total of official wisdom on the event.
Drawing comfort from the Chinese removing their tents, the Manmohan Singh government has been quick to claim that "status quo ante" has been restored.
The government was rigid in its view that the Chinese army must vacate and pull back, but some things have changed on the ground in eastern Ladakh and it will take a while to figure out if the new posture is permanent.
The two sides seem to have arrived at an agreement, perhaps unspoken, that neither will patrol that particular part of Depsang Valley as long as both keep out.
This means Indian forces will not seek to mark a presence as they have been doing in recent years in an area they see as India's side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) well within its claim lines.
As they attempt to solve the Chinese riddle, Indian agencies find it hard to reconcile recent initiatives like a dialogue on Afghanistan, the desire to make India Li's first port of call and Beijing's preoccupations in the east with the sudden stab into Ladakh.
There is skepticism whether the manoeuvre was a local miscalculation or a larger initiative gone wrong. China's tightly- controlled military hierarchy and the supremacy of the political wing makes this hard to accept.
In weighing options to end the showdown, India was careful to avoid an armed escalation although the Army expressed a quiet confidence while not underestimating the odds.
The episode has certainly jolted the political leadership as it brought home the perils of viewing India's giant neighbour through a conventional prism. Some experts see the Ladakh happenings as an example of Chinese "offensive deterrence" - a slap on the wrist to get a pesky neighbour to fall in line.
Beijing is sure to resent any attempt to seek equivalence on the Tibet or Arunachal borders but the incident will only convince skeptics to seek clearer terms on the ongoing border talks before the LAC is altered bit by bit to India's disadvantage.
Link - India still clueless about trigger behind Chinese incursion - The Times of India
