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Fresh Round of India-China Military Commanders’ Talks Hint at a New Status Quo on their Border

A joint statement after the meeting does not mention restoration of status quo in eastern Ladakh – an omission consistent with hardening Chinese position.

Abhijnan Rej


By Abhijnan Rej

September 23, 2020
Fresh Round of India-China Military Commanders’ Talks Hint at a New Status Quo on their Border

Pangong Lake

Credit: Flickr/Omkar A Kamale
On September 22, a full day after the 6th round of India-China military commanders’ talks, the two countries released a joint statement about it. The Chinese and Indian Foreign Ministers, Wang Yi and S. Jaishankar, had met in Moscow on September 10 to discuss the standoff in Ladakh. The latest round of military talks (which also saw the participation of an official from India’s foreign ministry) was the first following their meeting; many had expected the outcome of this round to reflect the agreements reached by Wang and Jaishankar – or the lack thereof.

And reflected it the talks did. Just like the joint statement after the Wang-Jaishankar meeting, the September 22 statement was anodyne, suggesting that India-China talks are now deadlocked. But as some analysts on social media have already flagged, the absence of crucial commitments in the latest joint statement suggests that India may be ready to accept the new status quo when it comes to a Line of Actual Control (LAC) shifted to China’s benefit in eastern Ladakh.

Analyzing the joint statement after the Wang-Jaishankar meeting in these pages the day after, I had noted that it did not indicate “India is anywhere near to achieving the outcome it seeks – restoration of status quo ante as it existed in April this year in eastern Ladakh. In fact, the joint statement – most likely to have been heavily negotiated – does not reflect key Indian positions.” Sadly, from India’s perspective, this was also the case with the statement after the military commanders’ meeting. Not only does it also not mention restoration of status quo ante; it also talks of agreeing to “stop sending more troops to the frontline,” which – along with an agreement to “refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground” – suggests India’s acceptance of the changed reality on the ground.

In fact, as government sources have told journalist Ajai Shukla, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “hardened” its position in the military commanders’ meeting, demanding that India withdraw from the five or six heights south of the Pangong Lake that it seized during an offensive operation involving India’s secretive Special Frontier Force at the end of last month; only then would the PLA consider withdrawing from areas that it occupies across what India perceives to be the LAC. India’s control of these heights allows it to surveil Chinese positions in the area and help its army prevent further PLA ingress into the Indian-controlled Chushul Bowl, Shukla noted.

As Christopher Clary, a close observer of the current standoff, noted, there is also an interesting civil-military angle to India’s response to the ongoing standoff. While foreign minister Jaishankar has adopted a relatively placatory line towards it, emphasizing the determining importance of diplomacy, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh’s position has been much firmer – a perhaps natural difference, owing to their respective portfolios. In fact, the Print reported on Monday that India sent a foreign ministry representative to the military commanders’ meeting on September 22 so that “the Chinese do not get an opportunity to say that Indian diplomats and Army officials speak in different voices,” as one diplomatic source told the outlet.

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Diplomatic and military engagements being where they are, it is likely that the standoff will continue through the winter, with significant costs to both China and India, assuming that a kinetic confrontation does not break out before that, either by accident or design. Dates for a 7th round of military commanders’ talks have not yet been announced.

56" chest is indeed a coward. Delusional Indians are merely acting as fools living in their own fancy world. Regardsless their silly claims everywhere, these idiots are almost ready to surrender their territory to China without a fight. Indian generals keep begging their junior Chinese counterparts during their hours long meetings requesting for mercy and the restoration of pre-May 2020 status quo. Chinese seem being not in a mood of entertaining any of Indian requests. Far from that, Chinese are imposing humiliating conditions onto Indians. For example, the latest 'agreement' between the two parties prohibits both sides from launching any new attacks and even bringing more troops into the area. And that suits Chinese side real well. They are occupying Indian areas (they liberated those areas from unlawful Indian occupation) while they already have a good military build-up in the disputed area. It is a humiliation for Indians who have agreed to not even try pushing Chinese back. Are the Indian military commanders so brainless to agree to such conditions? Not really. Cointrary to the delusional Indian propaganda wariors, Indian military leaders (and fascist Modi) know their real worth. In a way Indian military has managed to save itself from even more humiliation they would get had they tried to fight back the Chinese. But the current lull is misguiding in any case. Chinese consider a lot more bordering areas as theirs and are poised to retrieve those areas from illegal Indian occupation. Indians have repeatedly requested Chinese to specify their claimed boundary in the disputed Ladakh and elsewhere along their border. Modi seems willing to pull back to the Chinese claimed boundary 'under an agreement' rather than being pushed back militarily in humilation. But Chinese have refused to do so. It's not a matter of 'some' disputed areas now. It is about the status of the whole Indian occupied state of J&K. Indians probably thought that they could beg Chinese, agree on Chinese demands, pull back, and then keep the rest of the occupied J&K as union territories. That's not going to happen. More humiliation is waiting for expansionists Modi and his gang of exteremist Hindu criminals.
 
No, I am not. As long as ROE is not rolled back to pre-galwan, I am fine with it. All these agreements are just piece of paper when china can violate at any time.

See previous agreement in 1993
Power comes from a barrel of gun mate. Btw, this agreement means India accepts the new occupation like a good boy! Lol
 
Power comes from a barrel of gun mate. Btw, this agreement means India accepts the new occupation like a good boy! Lol
See this thread
No more drama from PLA.
 
See this thread
No more drama from PLA.

Indeed, no more drama. Your tears will be real.
 
Did you say tears, :rofl::rofl::rofl: Please watch
Low IQ delusional Indians. PLA recruits wearing a SASH and delusional Indians think is about them.

 
Did you say tears, :rofl::rofl::rofl: Please watch
Humiliated Indians cry more TEARS from their soldiers getting beat up and running away from a fight. So desperate for the Delusional Indian trolls to make up fake news and photoshoped humilated photo to soften their broken heart.


1591040334030-EZXtOMbVcAA89EY_-1-.jpg
 
See this thread
No more drama from PLA.
So? We actually make our own rifles. You think we won't shoot you bck? Friggin cowards, run into rivers kicked into rivers and yet shout supapowa. Lolol
 
Humiliated Indians cry more TEARS from their soldiers getting beat up and running away from a fight. So desperate for the Delusional Indian trolls to make up fake news and photoshoped humilated photo to soften their broken heart.


View attachment 673058
Injured in avalanche but tied up like bitches, man I got to give it yo global times. China is peaceful onlee!!!
 

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