Written by Ameya Pratap Singh
Even as disengagement begins in Pangong Tso, Eastern Ladakh, it is important to reconsider the nature of diplomatic options India has relied on to resolve the on-going border stand-off with China, and uncover what this tells us about the shifts in India’s foreign policy.
Usually, when a military response has been impracticable, India has ratcheted up diplomatic pressure. This has frequently been seen in response to Pakistan’s use of cross-border terrorism post-1998. For instance, India has been leading the charge for a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the United Nations. But similar international support to stigmatise Chinese aggression has strangely not been sought. External Affairs Minister (EAM), S. Jaishankar’s speech at the 13th All India Conference of China Studies is instructive. It was almost entirely bilateral in tenor (focusing on mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests), and there was…