Xi sweet-talks Modi, India draws firm line on Ladakh border

China’s President Xi Jinping has said that although India’s Elephant and China’s Dragon are different, they both cherish peace, equity and justice. In an editorial published in The Hindu newspaper hours ahead of his visit to India, President Xi has highlighted the need for the two Asian powerhouses to work together to ensure mutual prosperity and stability. Speaking of his relationship with ‘magical’ India, Xi’s editorial focuses on the relations between the two countries, and the need and future of economic reform. “Our bilateral relations have reached where they are today as a result of the following efforts: we have deepened mutual trust by strengthening strategic dialogue and enhancing political confidence; we have brought more benefits to each other by expanding the areas of cooperation and making the pie of common interests bigger”, the editorial says. Xi also makes an allusion to border relationships, saying that “the two sides have worked together to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border area.” [caption id=“attachment_1716853” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The situation at Ladakh is very different from Modi-Xi cordial talks. AFP[/caption] This flowery language is a far cry from the situation on the ground in Ladakh, where Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a stand off after Chinese soldiers made an incursion into Indian territory and even built a 2 km road. Indian soldiers challenged the Chinese troops and asked them to withdraw. Then, on the night of 10 September, the soldiers demolished a temporary track built by Chinese forces. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who traveled on Tuesday to Ahmedabad to welcome Xi, was more clear-eyed in his reading of the situation. In a statement, he said: “I am looking forward to deepening our engagement across the full spectrum of our bilateral relations, but also seeking progress on issues of concern, because resolution of these issues will transform the atmosphere in our relations and allow us to realise the full potential of our relations.” Is Modi drawing the line on the border issue? According to this report in The Times of India, the spike in hostilities on the border is - contrary to popular wisdom - due to greater assertiveness by the Indian troops. According to the report, “Government sources say the forces have been asked to be more proactive and assertive vis-a-vis China on the border, leading to daily patrolling along certain areas on the border and greater interception of Chinese soldiers when they move towards Indian side.” A Home Ministry source told TOI, “The new government is clear on letting go off too much restraint in dealing with China. All these developments have irritated PLA soldiers no end and in reply, they are flexing their muscle in Chumar and Dhemchok where they are supporting the civilians on their side”. Xi, however, makes no reference to this new escalation, but instead is all lightness and love. “We have treated each other with sincerity by respecting and accommodating each other’s concerns and properly managing problems and differences”, his editorial adds. This is completely in line with what China wants out of this trip - which is closer economic ties, especially in the wake of PM Modi’s successful trip to Japan. China is going to pledge $100 billion in investments in India for the next five years, almost triple the amount Japan pledged to India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Japan. Half of this amount is expected to be in the core sector of railways, an area which desperately needs funding. Xi is expected to announce another route for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a politically-correct move that would be music to the ears of the BJP’s Hindu vote bank. As mentioned by Firstpost columnist Rajeev Sharma, from China’s perspective, Xi’s most important diplomatic objective in India would be to convey to the Modi government that it does not have to look far when it has immediate neighbours like China ready to aid India’s growth story. And this is exactly the tenor of Xi’s message. "China and India are both faced with historic opportunities, and our respective dreams of national renewal are very much aligned with each other. We need to connect our development strategies more closely and jointly pursue our common dream of national strength and prosperity", he said.   “As emerging markets, each with its own strengths, we need to become closer development partners who draw upon each other’s strengths and work together for common development." But whether all this market-driven bonhomie will dissipate the very real territorial growling on the ground remains to be seen.