No meaningful disengagement: China wants India to see itself differently

New Delhi, June 25: Even as diplomatic talks continue, India still remains skeptical of China. Following the virtual meet of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs said that both sides promised to implement disengagement.

During the talks, both sides emphasised on the importance of respecting the Line of Actual Control. The MEA said that the Indian side conveyed its concerns on the recent developments in Eastern Ladakh, including on the violent face-off in the Galwan Valley area on June 15 that had resulted in casualties.

In New Delhi, officials say that the issue is far serious than the one that was at Doklam.

We know this is a long haul and we do not see the Chinese disengaging in any meaningful manner. The primary intent of the Chinese is to change the way India sees itself and also on how it deals with the rest of the world. Hence China is forcibly changing the status quo on the ground, the officer cited above said.

The virtual meet of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs is the second one since June 5 and was held through video conference.

The next level after the WMCC is the Special Representative mechanism. However there is no indication whether the two sides intend to convene the meeting anytime soon.

The WMCC was established in 2012 as an institutional mechanism for consultation and coordination. The intent behind the establishment of the WMCC was for maintaining peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas and also to exchange views on strengthening communication and cooperation.