India China rebooting ties Post – Doklam : 

India China rebooting ties Post – Doklam :

Context

India and China must address points of friction amongst them before they advance into a full-blown dispute

What needs to be done?

Rebooting Ties

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi’s informal meeting on the sidelines at BRICS summit can further enhance ties amongst the two nations
• It is widely expected that Yang Jiechi, China’s special representative at the boundary talks with India, will retire.
• China’s apparent policy shift on international terrorism will be tested when the United Nations meets to discuss designation of Masood Azhar as an international terrorist.
• China has so far resisted putting Azhar on the list of global terrorists
• Analysts say the thinking driving India’s Act-East policy and China’s Belt and Road Initiative is far from aligned.
• India is allowing itself to drift into a China-containment mode, with Tokyo and Washington as partners instead of following an individual policy
• India has its own concerns about Chinese intentions in the South China Sea and the South Asian neighborhood, including Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives.

What is the next step?

Optimistic view

• During a media briefing after the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar highlighted the positive outlook in the relations between the two nations
• Notwithstanding the intent to break common ground, India continued to differ with China and Russia on accommodating the Taliban to restore calm in Afghanistan.
• Afghanistan was a major issue of discussion during Prime Minster Modi’s lengthy conversation with President Vladimir Putin on the margins of the summit.