NEWDELHI/BEIJING: India expressed serious concern on Friday over Chinese construction activities in Donglang area, saying they amount to a “significant change of status quo” even as Beijing insisted the standoff in Sikkim sector could only be resolved by New Delhi recalling its troops to their original positions.
In a riposte to the Chinese military’s warning that India should learn lessons from the 1962 border conflict and not clamour for war, defence minister Arun Jaitley said circumstances had changed over the past five decades: “If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different, the India of today is different.”
Jaitley said at a media event that Bhutan had accused China of trying to change the status quo by claiming Bhutanese territory, and this was “absolutely wrong”. He added, “It is Bhutan’s land, close to the Indian border, and Bhutan and India have an arrangement to provide security.”
In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang brushed aside questions on Donglang mountain pass being at the centre of a territorial dispute between China and Bhutan, and said the region was an “indisputable” part of China. Indian troops had “trespassed” into the area on June 18, Lu told a news briefing. Bhutan claims the area.
“So the most pressing issue is the withdrawal of troops into the Indian territory. That is the precondition for any meaningful dialogue,” Lu said.
In New Delhi, the external affairs ministry said in a statement it was “deeply concerned at the recent Chinese actions” as the construction represents a “significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India”.
The statement also acknowledged for the first time since the standoff began on June 16 that Indian troops were acting in coordination with the Bhutan government. It said Indian troops in Doka La area approached a Chinese road construction party and “urged them to desist from changing the status quo” by building the road. Government sources countered Beijing’s allegation that Indian troops entered Chinese territory, saying the Sikkim-China border alignment was still not settled and was being discussed by their Special Representatives.
PM Narendra Modi has been briefed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and foreign secretary S Jaishankar on the standoff.
India talks tough on China faceoff
New Delhi calls it bid to alter status quo with serious security implications
New Delhi, June 30
India today issued a strong statement on the standoff with Chinese troops in Sikkim, warning that any construction in the area would represent a “significant” change in status quo with “serious security implications” for India.Referring to the 1962 war, Chinese foreign and defence ministries had yesterday said Indian troops must be withdrawn for any parleys to start.Edit: The Doklam theatreThe Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) narrated the sequence of events since June 16 when a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) construction party entered Doklam area and tried to construct a road. “In coordination with the Royal Government of Bhutan, Indian personnel, who were present, approached the Chinese construction party and urged them to desist from changing the status quo. These efforts continue,” the ministry stated. Beijing accuses India of being a “third party” to the China-Bhutan dispute.Bhutan has stated it had on June 20 lodged a protest with China through its embassy in New Delhi, that any road inside its territory was a violation of the 1988 and 1998 agreements it had with China. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)The MEA statement confirmed that India and China had been in touch over the issue at the diplomatic level and that this was the subject of a border personnel meeting at Nathu La on June 20.India pointed out that both countries had in 2012 reached an agreement that the tri-junction boundary points between India, China and any third country would be finalised in consultation with the parties concerned. It said the boundary in the Sikkim sector was mutually agreed upon in 2012 and that further discussions had been going on between the Special Representatives. India said it cherished peace on the border and was committed to working with China to peacefully resolve all border-related issues. — TNS