Peace found between India and China: the threat of a military clash passes

Delhi ordered the withdrawal of troops from the Doklam highland. China has blocked the construction of a road. Two countries meet halfway. For more than three months, fears of the outbreak of a regional war.


New Delhi (AsiaNews) - Peace seems to have been restored between the governments of Delhi and Beijing, after three months of mounting fears of a military clash between the two Asian giants. Yesterday, the Indian authorities announced that they had ordered their troops to retreat from the Doklam plateau, Bhutan, where they were defending the area. For its part, Beijing, which had triggered the confrontation, beginning construction of a road that would have bounded the Bhutanese plain, confirms that it has stopped the construction work.

It is not yet clear which government "surrendered" first. The fact is that China has claimed the retreat of Indian troops as a tremendous political victory. Several analysts also see Delhi's retreat as a confirmation of Chinese superiority on the eve of the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) meeting scheduled for September 3 to 5 in Xiamen, China.

In turn, the Indian Foreign Minister said that the retreat of the Delhi army "is the result of tight diplomatic efforts, held behind closed doors for several weeks." "It's an honorable draw," he added. Indeed, the headlines of the Indian newspapers that report the peaceful resolution also presented it as a victory for India, which "has refused to be a chess player in China's game", while avoiding military confrontation.

For months the tension between the two countries had reached the highest levels, with reciprocal allegations of territorial limitation. The main fear was that the disagreement between the two governments would have involved the countries of the region in a vortex of violence, triggering a regional war. The Doklam plain lies at the junction between China, the state of Sikkim (in the northeast of India) and the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. The area is claimed by China, which calls it Donglang, while India supports Bhutan's claims.