Hamburg handshake shows the way ahead

The first positive sign in almost a month-long standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Doklam area at the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction came on Friday at an informal Brics meeting in Hamburg where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have gathered for the G-20 summit.

It is important for both countries to build on this. For this to happen, though, it is necessary that both Beijing and New Delhi let diplomacy do the talking at a sane register, instead of letting their defence establishments have a free hand to exploit irresponsible sections of the media to whip up a bubble of war frenzy, which is far removed from the expectations of ordinary people in both nations. China, a non-democratic state which has set up journalistic mouthpieces of its ruling Communist Party that revel in the worst kind of jingoistic propaganda, has been particularly culpable in this regard. But some Indian television channels have hardly lagged behind. 

In a frenzy of narrow nationalism, when these so-called newspapers in China, backed by dubious, party-line toeing think tanks and middle-level foreign ministry bureaucrats in Beijing, tom-tommed Chinese victory over India in the 1962 border skirmish, a more restrained response from the Army Chief and defence minister may have helped us avoid a descent into mud-bath diplomacy.

But all that can be put well behind us if the Modi-Xi handshake in Hamburg is to be invested with the meaning it deserves. The Chinese leader responded with due regard to his position when Mr Modi, in his speech, praised the momentum imparted by China to Brics. Mr Xi praised India’s role in the fight against terrorism and made laudatory references to India’s economic progress. Both leaders showed us a sample of statesmanship. Only a day earlier, the Chinese foreign ministry had said the time was not right for a bilateral meeting between the principals. Propaganda is known to dig its own grave.

There are never any winners or losers in modern-day warfare. When the deadliest weapons invented come into play, ordinary people become victims. There is no point fretting over low-grade recent Chinese propaganda over the status of Sikkim or Bhutan in relation to India. 

An outright war, whose consequences will hurt everyone, cannot but kindle spirits in Tibet and Xinjiang that are hostile to Beijing. So it’s best not to go there.

The firing of a few shots in remote mountainous terrain may temporarily puff up nationalist bluster, but finally a negotiating table will have to be the refuge. It’s best for both militaries to return to the positions that prevailed a month ago. China and India have signed a treaty to maintain peace and tranquility on the undefined sections of the border. This also means no road construction. Let this be respected.