No deal with China,says Salman Khurshid; India removed tin shed at Chumar

Mathai decided to call in the Chinese envoy after the Chinese government,under the joint working mechanism,gave “vague” and “non-credible” responses to MEA Joint Secretary Gautam Bambawale. While Mathai and Bambawale made over 25 calls in three weeks,Indian ambassador to China S Jaishankar told Chinese officials that the incident “will affect bilateral relations”,sources said.

Jaishankar met the Chinese side at least thrice to convey Delhi’s message for restoring status quo. However,New Delhi never threatened to cancel Chinese premier Li Keqiang’s visit slated for May 19.

When the Chinese troops dismantled their tents on May 5,the Indian side too removed their tin shed structure. Sources said status quo was confirmed at the flag meeting on May 6 and the arrangement was confirmed to South Block on May 7. However,the Indian troops will continue to patrol the Chumar area.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Wednesday said there was “no deal” between India and China for ending the 21-day stand-off. “No deals in international levels… we do not do deals at this level,” he said.

Asked about his visit to China starting May 9,Khurshid said,“We will talk about the future,and our leadership is committed towards that and the great things India and China can and must do together.” He is expected to call on Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi among others.

New Delhi believes that the recent incursion implies that the new Chinese leadership wants to bring the border issue to the forefront. A section of the establishment also feels that it is linked to the proposed border defence cooperation agreement,on which India is yet to take a stand.

Though the Chinese motive behind the incursion remains a mystery,India noted two curious things. First,the Chinese tents were put up without a support system and,second,their responses were “not coordinated”. This led New Delhi to describe the incident as a “localised” affair.