Will India-China-Pakistan trilateral summit be a possibility?

Will India and Pakistan ever have a peaceful and/ or civil talk? Will the impossible ever happen?

In a seminar titled “Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast Can China-India Relations Go”, Luo Zhaohui, Chinese Ambassador to India, floated the idea of a trilateral summit between India, China and Pakistan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, reported the media on 18 June 2018.

Round Zhaohui, said that the two countries (India-China) cannot afford to be involved in another Doklam like incident.

Drawing a comparison with (China, Russia & Mongolia) a trilateral grouping, he said if such an arrangement was possible, then why can’t India, Pakistan and China develop a common trilateral platform.

He also mentioned that Indian officials had expressed their willingness to have some kind of trilateral summit on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Qingdao, China.

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Zhaohui also tweeted:

#China–#India relations have gone beyond bilateral scope. We have broad converging interests and face common challenges in Asia and beyond. We need to enhance coordination & cooperation in SCO, BRICS, G20 and join hands to tackle global challenges.

— Luo Zhaohui (@China_Amb_India) June 18, 2018

India and Pakistan’s opposing stance over the Kashmir issue would be an important issue that both countries are most likely to factor in while considering the proposal.

While the Doklam issue was a result of China trying to construct a road in disputed territory, even as Indian troops, in aid of their Bhutanese counterparts, objected to it, resulting in a bitter stand-off between both countries.