India and China on Monday ended their 71-day military stand-off in Doklam without any bloodshed or fireworks. Following hectic diplomatic parleys between the two sides, both countries on Monday agreed to “disengage”, pulling back their troops. It was also agreed that the status quo prior to the June 16 situation will be maintained and China
will not construct any road in the area that Bhutan claims to be its territory.
The imbroglio was resolved days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China for the BRICS Summit. During the impasse, China had adopted an unusually aggressive posture and tried to threaten India with muscle power to force its retreat from Doklam where Indian soldiers were standing in support of Bhutan.
“In the recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communications in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests. On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going,” said Spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs Raveesh Kumar, while breaking the news earlier in the day.
However, later in the evening in a separate statement, he added that the process of withdrawal of border personnel has been almost completed and verified. Sources added that the Indian Army has confirmed that the Chinese soldiers too have pulled back with their equipment and machines. India, Bhutan and China, however, can continue patrolling in the area.
“India has always maintained that it is only through diplomatic channels that the differences on such matters can be addressed. Our principled position is that agreements and understandings reached on boundary issues must be scrupulously respected. India’s policy remains guided by the belief that peace and tranquility in the borders areas is an essential pre-requisite for further development of our bilateral relationship. The two countries had also agreed in Astana in early June that differences should not be allowed to become disputes and that India-China relations must remain stable. We look forward to continuing engagement with the Chinese side on this basis,” Kumar added.
A similar statement was issued by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, who though tried to give the impression that it was a diplomatic victory for China. “On the afternoon of August 28, the Indian side has pulled back all the trespassing personnel and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary and the Chinese personnel on the ground has (sic) verified this,” Hua said.
However, in a comparatively toned down statement compared to Beijing’s previous posturing, she added that the “Chinese Government highly values its friendly relationship with India. We hope India can fulfill the historic agreement on the border and safeguard the stability of the border area with China.”
The stand-off that began on June 16 saw nearly 350 soldiers from both sides standing face to face at a distance of about 150 feet. Both sides were equipped with bulldozers and earth movers at the location where China was trying to make a road. Doklam falls under Bhutan’s territory which China disputes and claims as its own. Both China and Bhutan are engaged in border talks and despite an agreement between the two sides China is trying to build roads in Doklam. Sources said that the entire Monday was spent reaching an agreement and insuring pull-back of troops.
The diplomatic victory comes days after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on the sidelines of the BRICSs NSAs meeting. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Indian Ambassador in Beijing Vijay Gokhale were also engaging with the Chinese Government.