New Delhi [India], October 5 (ANI): Jawaharlal Nehru University’s (JNU) professor Srikanth Kondapalli, an expert on China’s foreign and security policies, has said that at the moment, there is a drive for normalisation on the border, that is “disengagement, patrolling, grazing if not de-escalation and de-induction”.
When asked whether the aggression shown by China towards its other neighbours is indicative of a possibility of another India-China conflict, the professor said that the path for normalisation has been laid out since October 21, 2024, but it has to be seen “whether this will be fulfilled.”
“At the moment, with the drive towards normalisation on the border, that is disengagement, patrolling, grazing if not de-escalation and de-induction, there is a path that has been laid down since October 21. We have to see whether this will be fulfilled,” Professor Kondapalli told ANI in an interview.
On September 3, China carried out a ‘Victory Day Parade’ which marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) showcased a range of sophisticated weapons, including new missile systems.
Talking about the recent visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to India, the professor expressed confidence in the talks moving forward between the two countries, highlighting the formation of three important groups, including the 10-point joint consensus between the two countries.
“When foreign minister Wang Yi came, we had three new institutions coming up; an expert group, a working group a border management group, and they used the word delimitation of the boundary. We don’t know if there is any real progress on the boundary, but generally boundary disputes are resolved step by step”, the professor in JNU’s Centre for East Asian Studies said.
First step is defining the line of actual control, second is delimitation, third is demarcation, and the fourth is a Parliamentary resolution, said Professor Kondapalli.
The professor suggested that both sides using the word ‘delimitation’ is indicative of “some progress at the border”.
“The fact that they used the second term, delimitation, in the Wang Yi, Ajit Doval joint statement, the 10-point consensus after the July 17-18 meeting. It indicates some progress at the border,” he added.
The JNU professor also welcomed the announcement of resuming direct flights between India and China, calling it a “small step” that China has taken after imposing Covid-19 pandemic-era restrictions on flights in 2020.
“The decision was made several months ago, but it has not been implemented. By October end, we will see some direct flights. However, in any case, it was a pandemic-related response by China, not by India. They blocked all these aircraft, so they are now moving in that direction. But anyway, this is basically tourism and others, it is a small step”, he told ANI.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said that resumption of direct flights between India and China is in line with the growing trend towards normalisation in the relationship between the two nations.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a media briefing, “Yesterday we had issued a press release and thereafter I understand that commercial activity in this regard has started. This is, of course, in line with the growing trend towards normalisation in the relationship between India and China.”
This development follows commitments made during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to India in August. During his bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, both sides had agreed to resume direct flight connectivity between the Chinese mainland and India at the earliest and finalise an updated Air Services Agreement. Direct flights between India and China had been suspended following the Doklam standoff and the Covid-19 pandemic.
In August, Chinese ambassador Xu Feihong highlighted ten points of consensus from the 24th Round of Talks Between the Special Representatives (SRs) of China and India on the boundary question. He said in a post on X that the two sides spoke positively of the progress made in the implementation of the important leader-level consensus in Kazan, and shared the view that peace and tranquillity have been maintained in the China-India border areas since the 23rd Round of SR Talks. (ANI)
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