Cautious optimism

The news that India and China are preparing for the special representatives’ dialogue on the next steps for the management of the line of actual control (LAC) has a lot to cheer for the people of both countries, which share frosty relations. The comments by the ministry of external affairs spokesperson came a day after India and China held talks under the framework of the working mechanism for consultation and coordination (WMCC) on border affairs in New Delhi. This was their first diplomatic meeting under the WMCC dialogue mechanism since withdrawing troops from the face-off points along the LAC.

It may be too much to expect normal relations between the countries, which have historically been in conflict, but the fact that dialogues are resuming is a step in the right direction. The last four years have seen major strains in the relationship between the two countries, following the eastern Ladakh military standoff in May 2020, and the deadly clash in Galwan Valley the following month.

With the latest move to improve ties between the nations, though a major trust deficit remains, there is an air of cautious optimism that there will be a thaw in the relationship, and that there will be no major escalation like the one witnessed in 2020.