In the end, the Doklam story wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging the cool, confident, self-assured handling of the situation by the Modi government. Without reacting or responding to the Chinese diatribes, the government held its ground. The calm and composed manner in which the government approached the entire issue stood in stark contrast to the hysterics of the Chinese, who were shown up to be petty, petulant, and puerile. Even though the Chinese screamed and shouted and demanded a unilateral withdrawal and refused any diplomatic engagement, the Indian side didn’t close the door for diplomacy. What is more, the Modi government used every opportunity and leverage to keep the Chinese unsettled. For instance, the Indian side refused to confirm Modi’s presence at the BRICS summit in Xiamen, China, early next month. They didn’t say no but didn’t say yes either. The message was clear: it would be untenable for the Indian Prime Minister to visit China at a time when China was threatening war. His absence would have killed the BRICS summit and would cause China to lose face. It was almost as though this was a set timeline for the Chinese to get off their high horse and negotiate a solution that both sides could live with. That is precisely what happened. Interestingly, this also means that while the Chinese were declaring that they would not talk until India withdrew, behind the scenes they remained engaged with India.