China and India need diplomatic offensive as troops pull back
- Easing of border tensions between nations after deadly clash must also be met with cooling of nationalist urges, and political efforts have to be intensified on both sides to get relations back on track
A border stand-off between China and India has spurred Indian nationalists to seek a severing of ties. While military commanders appear to have calmed tensions in the Galwan Valley high in the Himalayas with an agreement that troops pull back, trade and technology pressures are now mounting.
In moves reminiscent of steps taken against Beijing by Washington, New Delhi has banned 59 Chinese mobile apps, including immensely popular TikTok and WeChat, on security grounds. Efforts for a political solution have to be redoubled to prevent relations from further souring.
The pulling back of troops from the disputed boundary between the Chinese region of Aksai Chin and the Indian-administered territory of Ladakh lessens the risk of accidental clashes. But it does not mean a military build-up will be reversed.
Both sides have been stepping up deployment of soldiers and equipment since a skirmish on June 15 that killed 20 Indian soldiers and left an undisclosed number of Chinese casualties. Tensions had been rising for two months and there were brawls during a previous encounter, but the hand-to-hand fighting was the deadliest in four decades.
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Indians call for boycott of Chinese goods after deadly border clash with China
Nationalists in China and India have used the dispute to push agendas. For both nations, it is a distraction from the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic troubles it has wrought.
The area is strategically important for both, Ladakh being part of Kashmir and close to the only road linking China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Tibet. Large parts of the 3,400km (2,113-mile) border between the nations have been disputed since a war in 1962 and the latest row raised fears of another conflict.
The agreement has allayed such concerns. But calls in India for a boycott of all things Chinese have raised worries about other aspects of the relationship, most immediately trade and investment. The banning of Chinese apps is a small step that is likely to hurt Indian consumers more than Chinese companies.
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That it comes at a time when goods bought from China are being held up at Indian ports, and with authorities planning to increase tariffs and implement more stringent quality control measures for shipments, bodes poorly for the expansion plans of Chinese firms.
Trade between China and India runs deep and will not easily be unravelled. Although the United States overtook China to become India’s biggest trading partner in 2018, the vast majority of imports are Chinese. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to push self-reliance through reducing imports and boosting domestic manufacturing.
A potential military conflict has for now been averted. But nationalist urges have to be assuaged. Political efforts have to be intensified on both sides to get relations back on track.
