16th round of India-China military talks to be held on July 17 on Indian side of LAC in eastern Ladakh

We should continue talking. But we should expect nothing. Here is what China wants: a vassal state that bends to its will, and the right to claim any territory they want without question (i.e., do as they wish). They think India is Pakistan. Talking to China is fine, they will tell us to get lost each time, and make one outrageous demand after another. What with them being so intelligent given their deep philosophers, and what with us being so intelligent with our own deep philosophers. Whether it is China, or Pakistan, people at the border understand only one thing, and they infer it not from what we say, but what we do. If our boys had to go across to kill Chinese soldiers with fists and clubs, we've told them we have no arms, no munitions, no logistics, no information, no nothing. I am sure there are plenty of revisionist reasons why what we did is claimed as a good idea; it isn't. Without eliminating our corruption (which makes sure our boys at the front get nothing), we cannot deter China nor Pakistan. One of the first things we might want to do is stop talking; all our policy announcements and talking is triggering smirks internationally. Our actions are the only thing that matters. Do China (and Pakistan) find the consequences of India's action sufficiently deterring? If not, then nothing else matters. At this time, talking to China matters less, thinking through the challenges of the QUAD alliance (with Japan, Australia, and US) matters more (I don't think of it as a done-deal). At this time, bilateral relations with Japan matter more, relations with Russia matter more, relations with the US matter more, than they do with China. With China, let's keep talking and keep stalling - because they will not agree to anything except total surrender and the recognition that we have no sovereignty. A calm nation, a noisy democracy, a nation given to dangerous hubris, cannot talk to a belligerent, delusional and crazy nation. Our foreign policy is big talk, but fearful inaction. We make a big deal of our military strength and this gun and that plane. What of it works, has fuel, has munition, has trained personnel? Frightfully little. I know the impressive arsenal worked during parades, my concern is: were they available and ready where they were needed? What good is our arsenal if we have zero control over every land border?