All eyes are on the three-day BRICS Summit in China, starting Sept. 3, when a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping is expected to take place.
The handshake between the two leaders might ease ongoing tension between the world’s two most populous countries over the Doklam plateau.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs refused to comment on the meeting when contacted by Arab News.
The plateau falls at the tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan. It has long been a point of dispute between New Delhi and Beijing. Recent tensions began on June 18, when India stopped Chinese workers from extending a road on the plateau southward near the Doka La pass on the Sino-Bhutanese territory.
India opposes the extension as it is close to its border. Bhutan says it is also against China building roads in the disputed area.
“Doklam is a disputed territory, and Bhutan has a written agreement with China that pending a final resolution of the boundary issue, peace and tranquility should be maintained in the area,” said Vetsop Namgyel, the Bhutanese ambassador to India.
New Delhi says the road construction is close to the Siliguri corridor, which connects mainland India with its northeastern side, which shares 90 percent of its borders with neighboring countries.
“Such construction would represent a significant change of the status quo, with serious security implications for India,” said the India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
To counter the Indian move, Beijing sent reinforcements to the area in the third week of June, and described New Delhi’s apprehensions as “ridiculous.”
Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, warned that if the intrusion were not stopped, it would lead to “utter chaos.”
“A prerequisite basis for the settlement of the trespass is the unconditional withdrawal of personnel and equipment from the Indian side,” he said after Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh urged China to take a “positive step from its side.”
Sudheendra Kulkarni, head of the Mumbai chapter of the Observer Research Foundation, told Arab News: “This problem would’ve been nipped in the bud had there been strategic trust between Modi and Xi.”
Kulkarni said: “It’s because of lack of trust that the issue has erupted in such a serious manner. Even at this stage, the issue should be resolved peacefully.”
Indian Express columnist C. Raja Mohan wrote: “One of the unintended consequences for China from the Doklam crisis would be an India that is forced to think far more strategically about coping with China’s power.”
But Kulkarni thinks “the strategic shift in Indian foreign policy from a non-aligned nation to a strategic ally of the US is also an issue in this conflict.”
He added: “China is our neighbor, and good neighborliness should be at the heart of any foreign policy.”
Mohan warned that after the Doklam issue, “political goodwill in India toward China that was constructed over the last three decades will be increasingly difficult to sustain in the coming years.”
Can BRICS Summit pacify China-India standoff?
Can BRICS Summit pacify China-India standoff?
Ukraine, US, Europe still seeking common ground in peace talks, French official says
- French presidency official: “The European perspective of Ukraine is clear and it’s a realistic perspective”
PARIS: Ukraine, the United States and European powers are still working to find a joint position that would outline the contours of a peace deal, including security guarantees for Kyiv, that could be taken to Russia, a French presidency official said on Friday.
“Our goal is to have a common foundation that is solid for negotiation. This common ground must unite Ukrainians, Americans and Europeans,” the official told reporters in a briefing.
“It should allow us, together, to make a negotiating offer, a solid, lasting peace offer that respects international law and Ukraine’s sovereign interests, an offer that American negotiators are willing to bring to the Russians.”
The official said there was no joint document yet, but all sides would carry on negotiations in the coming days through various calls and meetings. He did not say whether Washington had set a deadline.
Kyiv is under pressure from the White House to secure a quick peace but is pushing back on a US-backed plan proposed last month that many see as favorable to Moscow.
Britain, France and Germany, along with other European partners and Ukraine, have been working frantically in the last few weeks to refine the original US proposals that envisaged Kyiv giving up swathes of its territory to Moscow, abandoning its ambition to join NATO and accepting limits on the size of its armed forces.
The French official said the talks aimed at narrowing differences with the United States and centered on territory and potential security guarantees for Ukraine once there is a peace accord.
Those discussions include the possibility of a NATO Article-5 type clause involving Washington that would seek to reassure Kyiv in case it was once again attacked by Russia, the official said.
The Europeans have also faced pressure in recent weeks with some American proposals touching on elements that concern NATO and the European Union, including suggestions on fast-tracking Ukraine’s accession to the bloc.
“The European perspective of Ukraine is clear and it’s a realistic perspective,” the official said. “That is what we are committed to and it is up to the Europeans and the Ukrainians to agree on how to proceed.”
