<p>The failure of the 13th round of talks between Indian and Chinese military commanders on October 10 is the reason for great concern. The focus of this round of talks was to achieve a disengagement of troops from the Hot Springs area in Ladakh but it ended without a breakthrough. Previous rounds of talks have not always ended in the agreement or in a joint statement but what makes the latest round worrying is the shrill acrimony that the two sides have openly displayed in their separate statements. Both sides blamed the other for the failure of the talks. India said that it “made constructive suggestions” for resolving differences “but the Chinese side was not agreeable and also could not provide any forward-looking proposals.” China lashed out at India for making “unreasonable and unrealistic demands.” “Instead of misjudging the situation, the Indian side should cherish the hard-won situation in China-India border areas,” the Chinese military statement said. That talks with the Chinese would be difficult was never in doubt. However, the talks now seem to have run aground. Unlike statements issued after previous rounds, which at least had a few positive, forward-looking words sprinkled in the text, this time around, the text was acrimonious, providing little reason for hope. </p>.<p>Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged so far from both banks of the Pangong Tso and Gogra Post, helped in no small measure by India giving in on some strategic heights. Disengagement from Hot Springs remains to be done. Besides, there is Depsang Plains, where the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been preventing Indian patrolling. The PLA is unwilling to even discuss these friction points. A hardening in China’s position has been evident for some time. Its troops transgressed 5 km into the Indian side at Barahoti in the middle sector in August and then intruded into Tawang in the eastern sector last month. Clearly, they were signalling increasing bellicosity.</p>.<p>Throughout the 17-month long crisis at the LAC, the Narendra Modi government has been preoccupied with managing the domestic headlines rather than dealing firmly with the PLA. The statement issued after the October 10 talks is the first admission that the Chinese are playing tough and that the talks are not going well, confirming what many have suspected all along. But it is a welcome shift towards giving the country an accurate picture of the situation and preparing it for whatever may come next. The situation at the border is fragile. The government must take the Opposition into confidence to discuss its next steps forward.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
<p>The failure of the 13th round of talks between Indian and Chinese military commanders on October 10 is the reason for great concern. The focus of this round of talks was to achieve a disengagement of troops from the Hot Springs area in Ladakh but it ended without a breakthrough. Previous rounds of talks have not always ended in the agreement or in a joint statement but what makes the latest round worrying is the shrill acrimony that the two sides have openly displayed in their separate statements. Both sides blamed the other for the failure of the talks. India said that it “made constructive suggestions” for resolving differences “but the Chinese side was not agreeable and also could not provide any forward-looking proposals.” China lashed out at India for making “unreasonable and unrealistic demands.” “Instead of misjudging the situation, the Indian side should cherish the hard-won situation in China-India border areas,” the Chinese military statement said. That talks with the Chinese would be difficult was never in doubt. However, the talks now seem to have run aground. Unlike statements issued after previous rounds, which at least had a few positive, forward-looking words sprinkled in the text, this time around, the text was acrimonious, providing little reason for hope. </p>.<p>Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged so far from both banks of the Pangong Tso and Gogra Post, helped in no small measure by India giving in on some strategic heights. Disengagement from Hot Springs remains to be done. Besides, there is Depsang Plains, where the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been preventing Indian patrolling. The PLA is unwilling to even discuss these friction points. A hardening in China’s position has been evident for some time. Its troops transgressed 5 km into the Indian side at Barahoti in the middle sector in August and then intruded into Tawang in the eastern sector last month. Clearly, they were signalling increasing bellicosity.</p>.<p>Throughout the 17-month long crisis at the LAC, the Narendra Modi government has been preoccupied with managing the domestic headlines rather than dealing firmly with the PLA. The statement issued after the October 10 talks is the first admission that the Chinese are playing tough and that the talks are not going well, confirming what many have suspected all along. But it is a welcome shift towards giving the country an accurate picture of the situation and preparing it for whatever may come next. The situation at the border is fragile. The government must take the Opposition into confidence to discuss its next steps forward.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>