This refers to the editorial, “Standing up to a bully” (August 29). The Doklam border crisis has ended as suddenly as it began and the good news is: Both India and China have agreed to mutually disengage from their respective stand points. Cooler heads seem to have prevailed in this dispute and instead of spiralling into a full-blown war, the stand-off has been deftly steered towards a gradual backing off. Though the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be rubbing shoulders with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a week, during the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit, may have been instrumental in ending the confrontation.
In the end, can anyone claim outright victoryIJ Not really. All three parties — India, China and Bhutan can claim that they got what they principally wanted. But none has gained leverage which will stop others from repeating what happened over the past two months. Nonetheless, India can still claim to have shown a refusal to buckle in front of China. Strategic trust, already low between the Asian giants, is now at the bottom. Both India and China are wary of when the other will next attempt to prick them to assert superiority. The line of Actual Control between China and India was peaceful since 1967; now, India and China can no longer take that peace for granted.