NEW DELHI: India has sidestepped a Chinese attempt to delink the Dokalam standoff from the Special Representative mechanism to find a solution to the 4,057-km-long Line of Actual Control that divides the two nations.Beijing had said that the current standoff was ‘out of the purview’ of the Special Representatives, according to officials. Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj while speaking in the Rajya Sabha had stated that bilateral negotiations were on. Russia, another key stakeholder in Brics, is against any attempts that would derail the group. The Chinese are probably indulging in rhetoric to send message to neighbours in southeast and east Asia who are closely watching the standoff and probably comparing with their reaction on the South China Sea. Officials and experts in New Delhi hint that Beijing may be looking for a face saving formula.

Source: Economic Times August 07, 2017 19:41 UTC