Stepping back
It is hard to believe that after the ruthless confrontations at the border, diplomatic talks have finally had the right effect on China (Page 1, “PLA pulls back from Galwan clash site”, July 7). It may be music to India’s ears, but Chinese manoeuvres are difficult to anticipate and hard to believe. Also, if it is claimed that Chinese troops infiltrated deep into Indian territory, then does this retreat mean anything at all? Is China still in India? After having been taken by surprise, our defence forces need to keep close track of a menacing and belligerent neighbour and plan suitable actions to prevent future interceptions.
Maanind Mishra,
Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
It is all a bit puzzling. If the People’s Liberation Army can pull back after just a phone call between National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, why was China allowed in the first place to breach the Line of Actual Control, resulting in the loss of 20 Indian soldiers? Why was not the NSA engaged in dialogue when tension was mounting earlier? However, it is amply clear that the PLA did breach the Line of Actual Control.
There seems to be some fundamental flaw in the way the Ministry of External Affairs is handling India’s relationships with hostile neighbours.
N. Nagarajan,
Secunderabad
The developments, however tentative, are welcome. The Indian Army has done well to stare down the Chinese and the government too can take some credit. It is likely that China realised that its calculations were not adding up. Its stock in the world could be at its lowest in years. The disengagement, however, is no victory parade, though the media has raced off. Instead, it is a reminder of all that has gone wrong and of the focus and hard work needed to put things on course.
M. Balakrishnan,
Bengaluru
Airborne transmission
The general public seems more willing than before to listen to what scientists and experts have to say about the coronavirus (Page 1, “Coronavirus is airborne, 239 experts warn in letter to WHO”, July 7). At a time when science seemed to command a huge following, one expected scientists to sink their differences and strike a blow for the scientific process of hypothesis, experimentation, replication, publication, and peer review.
Instead, disagreements about the mode of transmission and the haggling over the minutiae about droplet size threaten to dent trust in scientific opinion. Shockingly, wearing masks, something common sense would prioritise as a shield against transmission and infection, elicited conflicting expert views. Let scientists reach a consensus on the alleged airborne nature of the coronavirus before making dire predictions.
V.N. Mukundarajan,
Thiruvananthapuram
