India-China Détente: A Cautiously Optimistic Thaw

India-China Détente Is A Positive Step But Mistrust Still Lingers

Dear Reader,

The bygone weeks have been high on geopolitics. They began with a diplomatic row between India and Canada when Trudeau accused Indian agents in the Nijjar murder case.

This was followed by an unusually strong Indian response calling out Trudeau's votebank politics. Our last weekend magazine edition covered the same. Read it here.

Thereafter, the US indicted an ex-Indian R&AW officer Vikash Yadav in the case of the alleged murder conspiracy of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

But the news that may turn out to be the most consequential is the breakthrough between India and China on the border standoff in Ladakh since the 2019 Galwan clashes.

The disengagement deal was arrived at just before the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia where PM Modi and Premiere Xi participated in a bilateral — after a gap of 5 years.

While this thaw is a positive development, India needs to move ahead while being "cautiously optimistic" as Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh had put it to the armed forces.

This détente in the Sino-Indian strain has again fueled the speculations of an RIC (Russia-India-China) axis. Though premature, the visuals of Modi-Xi-Putin from BRICS Summit received quite a coverage in the Western media and policy circles.

Read our latest weekend magazine edition — A "Cautiously Optimistic" Thaw — for a comprehensive view of the India-China deal and its implications.

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Until next week,

Anmol N Jain