India's move not enough to excuse its 'long hands'

In a sign that the monthlong tension between the two countries may be easing, India resumed some visa services in Canada on Thursday.

By doing so, India has eased its pressure on Canada. India is the eighth-largest trading partner of Canada, yet the Canadian education industry, an important sector, heavily relies on Indian students as 40 percent of the 800,000 foreign students in Canada come from India. On the other hand, India relies heavily on Canada's agricultural products, such as potash fertilizer and every winter is a traditional tourist season in India while tourist revenue from Canada is a big part of India's tourism revenue.

The deterioration of diplomatic relations between the two countries came after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the expulsion of a senior Indian diplomat on Sept 18, saying that there were "credible allegations" that Indian government agents were responsible for the death of Canadian citizen of Indian descent and Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjhar, whom the Indian government called a "terrorist". In retaliation, on Sept 21, India announced the suspension of visa applications for Canadian citizens, leading to a deadlock in relations between the two countries.

But although India has taken the initiative to ease the situation that has seriously affected bilateral exchanges and economic and trade interests, all the signs indicate that the Trudeau government has no intention of compromising on the issue. Canada has a large Indian community, and a large part of it is the Sikh community that is highly dissatisfied with the Indian government. Moreover, public opinion generally supports a tough stance on the issue, considering it's related with national dignity.

Despite India's move, at this stage, the diplomatic relations between India and Canada are still at a low ebb and there appears to be still a long way to go before there is a diplomatic truce.

-Beijing News