The five-point consensus reached by the Foreign Ministers of India and China in Moscow provides a glimmer of hope of a diplomatic solution. Analyse (200 Words)
Refer - The Hindu
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IAS Parliament 4 years
KEY POINTS
· The “five-point consensus” reached by the Foreign Ministers of India and China in Moscow provides a glimmer of hope of a diplomatic solution, while thousands of troops from both countries remain deployed along the border.
· Each point, outlined in a joint statement, has been affirmed previously by the two neighbours, both in past boundary agreements and in talks held since June that have failed to de-escalate tensions.
· The LAC remains tense, facing its worst crisis since 1962. Both sides have agreed to take guidance from previous understandings, including on “not allowing differences to become disputes”, a formulation of 2017 that has not lived up to its promise.
· At the same time, stark differences remain, including on the key question of whether both sides will return to the status quo ante prior to China’s transgressions. India stressed that peace on the boundary was essential for ties, and that recent incidents had impacted the broader relationship.
· China’s statement also quoted India’s Foreign Minister as saying India believed China’s policy toward India had not changed and that it did not consider relations to be dependent on the settlement of the boundary question.
· Moreover, a day before the talks, China’s official news agency issued a commentary placing the onus entirely on India to defuse tensions, accusing India of “reckless provocations”, telling India “to learn from history”, and reiterating that China “will not lose an inch of territory”.
· The continuing rounds of talks should be aimed sincerely at disengagement, and not at presenting a veneer of diplomatic engagement even while China strengthens its hold along the LAC. India will need to verify before it can trust each of China’s steps from now on.
