Too far: Jaishankar-Wang Yi meeting on the sidelines of G20 summit

On 7 July, External Affairs Minister S. Meeting between Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yiserved as a reminder of the curious state of affairs in Bali, on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting India’s relations with China, That the second meeting of the two ministers was held in four months – Mr. Wang was in New Delhi in March – Indicates that both parties see value in continued engagement and remain dissatisfied with the current low level of relationship. The problem, however, is that the similarities appear to end there. Mr Jaishankar reiterated India’s stand, conveyed to China on several occasions since the start of LAC tensions in 2020, that normalcy would not be possible without the resolution of the border crisis and complete disengagement from all friction zones. The External Affairs Minister called for early resolution of all outstanding issues, and reiterated the need to maintain the momentum for complete disengagement from all remaining sectors, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

However, it is clear that Beijing does not share that view. Conversely, recent actions show that Beijing has no desire to resolve the dispute immediately, which India reasonably sees as a prerequisite for restoring normalcy in relations. Indeed, the official Chinese readout of the Bali talks failed to make a single mention of the LAC crisis, suggesting it is not a priority for Beijing. Instead, it emphasized Beijing’s current interest in engaging with India on multilateral groups such as BRICS and the SCO, which China and Russia see as valuable platforms to counter the West, and Mr. for “an impartial international order”. Meanwhile, the Chinese military has dragged its feet in response to the dates for the 16th round of military talks, the longest pause since talks began. The last round, which was held four months ago on March 11 was held, both sides failed to succeed in disengaging at Patrolling Point 15 in Hot Springs. Depsang and Demchok also remain unresolved. There is little hope for an imminent breakthrough in New Delhi, especially domestically in China. Politics is on edge ahead of the party Congress, when Xi Jinping begins his third term and the military leadership will also see sweeping changes. The Chinese foreign minister in Bali said the two countries “emphasis on the right path for an early return to bilateral relations”. However, this aspiration contrasts sharply with Beijing’s continued reluctance to restore the status quo as of April 2020. Delhi has to be forced to accept a new normal on the LAC. Until this change comes, the standoff on the borders and in relations is likely to remain.