Belligerent China is sceptical about India’s commitment to the ‘5-point consensus’ between MEA S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, which was drafted during their meeting in Moscow on September 10. Marking a historic turn of events amid this impasse between the two neighbours, Jaishankar met Yi on September 10 in Moscow, the first instance when the two officials exchanged thoughts in person since the border conflict broke out. They discussed the developments along the LAC and agreed on a ‘5-point consensus’ to help de-escalate the flare-ups and take bilateral ties towards a healthier direction

Beijing: India and China have been at loggerheads since April ever since the People’s Liberation Army made provocative advancements towards Indian territory along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), much to New Delhi’s chagrin.

Multiple diplomatic and military-level talks have not yielded much to de-escalate tensions along the international border near eastern Ladakh, the bloodiest episode of that altercation being on the intervening night of June 15-16 when 20 Indian Army soldiers were martyred defending their motherland.

With the hostile winter season knocking on the LAC’s door, the ill-equipped Chinese military is playing all its cards to attain a truce with the seasoned Indian Army, though Brigade Commander-level talks between the two armies haven’t yielded much in the past few meetings.

Marking a historic turn of events amid this impasse between the two neighbours, Union Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar on September 10 met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the side-lines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Moscow, the first instance when the two officials exchanged thoughts in person since the border conflict broke out.

The two leaders discussed the developments along the LAC and agreed on a ‘5-point consensus’ to help de-escalate the flare-ups and take bilateral ties towards a healthier direction.

However, belligerent China is sceptical about India’s commitment to the agreement and expressed doubt through a report whether New Delhi will adhere to the agenda and that it will be a “big test” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“How to implement the 5-point consensus reached by two sides is crucial… Some experts pointed out that narratives and moves from India’s Ministry of External Affairs seem to differ from the Indian Ministry of Defence, and they hold an unclear attitude on whether India will carry out the consensus,” an editorial in Chinese mouthpiece Global Times claimed.

The report nefariously tries to pit India’s two pivotal ministries against each other by saying that the MEA plays ‘good cop’, while the Union Ministry of Defence plays ‘bad cop’, referring to the push for an agreement while at the same time Defence Minister said at the Rafale-induction ceremony that it is “very important” keeping in mind the “kind of atmosphere” on the border.

“The Ministry of External Affairs plays good cop, while the Indian Ministry of Defence is the bad cop. The two ministries coordinate with each other and apply both soft and hard tactics… India’s seemingly contradictory moves by the two ministries deliver a message to China that India is ready to resolve the conflict by force, but also has the sincerity to peacefully settle the conflict,” the report said.

The editorial also hints at a ‘war-like situation’ if the consensus is not followed in its entirety.

“If China and India act according to the joint press statement, or there is more engagement of higher leaders, the ongoing border clashes will be relieved to some extent and the possibility of a larger-scale armed conflict, even a war will be greatly reduced,” it claimed.