“First in principle China will suspend building the road and Indian troops would withdraw,” says Mr. Mao.

In a deal that is likely to be delicately balanced, China may suspend the construction of the road, while India is likely to initiate the pullback of troops, to end the three-month old standoff in the Doklam plateau, says a former Chinese diplomat.

“Given the high level of sensitivity accorded to this issue, neither of the two governments in their statements of August 28, gave an impression to their domestic audiences that they were speaking from a position of weakness,” says Mao Siwei, former Chinese consul general in Kolkata, in an e-mailed response to The Hindu.

He highlighted that although both sides did not go into details in their announcements, judging from experience and common knowledge, both sides will highly likely reach consensus very soon.

“First in principle China will suspend building the road and Indian troops would withdraw,” says Mr. Mao.

He added: “In terms of timing, India will withdraw first and China will follow after that.”

“This is a wise choice made by the two top leaders facing tremendous extreme nationalist sentiments in both countries. China gave up the choice of war and stepped back to gain more. India decided to attend

the BRICS and continue maintain normal relations with China,” observed Mr. Mao.

Separately Sun Shihai, an expert on South Asia at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Hong Kong based South China Morning Post that there was “deliberate ambiguity in the two foreign ministries’ statements”. He added that the “each side’s media will write the narrative to suit the feelings of their audiences”.

The impact of Monday’s agreement to defuse the Doklam crisis has echoed in the region, including East Asia.

“Everyone has made a huge sigh of relief here in East Asia, since the prospect of conflict between Asia's Titans is unthinkably devastating.

It also shows the wisdom of great power diplomacy and how despite its overall military and economic superiority, China recognises India's heft as an emerging peer with its own robust territorial conviction,” says Richard Javad Heydarian, a Manila-based academic, in response to queries by The Hindu.

Within China, the end of the standoff has been cautiously welcomed, especially in the view of next month’s upcoming China-hosted BRICS summit in the coastal city of Xiamen. “This is good news for the bilateral relations and BRICS. It means both governments are still keen on maintaining peace,” says Hu Shisheng Director at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

Referring to the larger implications of positive China-India ties, he pointed out that “peace between China and India not only benefits the two peoples but the larger international community”.

The end of the standoff has also sent positive vibes in sections of the business community, with a growing engagement with India.

“The end of the standoff reflects the political wisdom of both governments. It will indeed provide a healthy environment for the forthcoming cooperation between China and India. It will also pave the way for a good and sound summit at Xiamen,” says Jonathan Liu, executive director on India at the Sichuan chamber of International commerce, in a conversation with The Hindu.