The situation along the LAC at eastern Ladakh continues to remain tense as the talks between Major Generals of India and China held in Galwan Valley, the site of a huge clash on Monday in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, were inconclusive.
However, on Wednesday for the first time the foreign minister of two nations held exclusive talks over the phone to try to defuse the tension. The Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar held a discussion with his China counterpart Wang Yi on the phone and both sides presented their side of views.
Hopefully, this interaction at the highest level will help to de-escalate the tension.
But the situation continues to remain tense and the unpredictability of Chinese side has made things more complicated. Even though the Galwan clash is headline news in the Indian media, there is silence on the China side.
The clash has provoked protests in India, with people burning Chinese flags. The China’s propaganda machines who are known to fan nationalist flames at home against the countries perceived as enemies have been maintaining stoic silence.
China has not confirmed how many of its personnel died or injured in the clash.
All this points out that China might be planning something grandeur.
It looks like they are in for a long haul at Galwan and Pangong Tso where they have reportedly encroached into Indian territory.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met president Xi Xinping of China several times since becoming PM including a historic Wuhan summit in 2018.
Perhaps the time has come for the PM to use the personal bonhomie with his Chinese counterpart to resolve the tension along the LAC.