August 5, 2017
China again warns Indian on border dispute as Sikkim standoff continues
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
India must withdraw its troops on the Doklam plateau or “face consequences”, said Liu Jinsong, Chinese Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi on Thursday.
The Hindu newspaper said that Jinsong 's remarks mark a serious escalation in rhetoric over the ongoing tensions between the two countries, as their armies continue a six-week long stand-off near India-Bhutan-China tri-junction off Sikkim.
“The crossing of the boundary line by Indian troops into the territory of China using the pretext of security concerns for a 3rd party (Bhutan) is illegal,” Liu Jinsong said, adding that “Troops should be withdrawn immediately, otherwise there will be serious consequences.”
The diplomat said that the Indian action at Doklam was akin to “intruding into your neighbors house," and quoted Chinese President Xi Jinping as saying: “Military option is the fundamental guarantor of sovereignty.”
India denies Chinese report of pulling out most troops from Doklam
Meanwhile India has rejected China's statement that the number of Indian soldiers at the actual confrontation site had gone down from 400 to just over 40 by July-end.
India has not pulled back troops from the Doklam face-off with the People's Liberation Army, Indian sources were quoted by the Times of India as saying.
The Times of India said that Chinese foreign ministry, through a 15-page statement with maps, photographs and documents on Wednesday, seemed to give the impression that the Doklam crisis in Bhutanese territory near the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet trijunction had finally begun to de-escalate with India backing down from the confrontation after 45 long days.
Transgressions by PLA along LAC likely to rise
Transgressions by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) across different sectors of 4,057-kilometre-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) — the de facto boundary between India and China — can increase in the coming months as India remains firm to thwart Beijing’s designs in Dokalam plateau, according to the Times of India.
With PLA failing to make headway in the Sino-Bhutan-India trijunction to create infrastructure and claim territory, there are apprehensions that transgressions by the Chinese troops along LAC in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh could spike with an aim to create pressure on India, the Times of India quoted persons familiar with Chinese military strategy.
Initial signs of this PLA strategy amid the Dokalam standoff was first visible along LAC in Uttarakhand and then in Himachal Pradesh, the paper said and added: Heightened Chinese activities have been reported along the LAC in Tibet across two Himachal Pradesh districts days after PLA transgressions in Uttarakhand territory.
While transgressions along LAC often happen due to differing perceptions of LAC, increase in such attempts by China is not ruled out in the coming months with an eye on engaging Indian troops across various sectors of LAC, the Times of India said.
It may be recalled that weeks before Dokalam standoff China had transgressed through air in Uttarakhand. LAC is divided into three sectors — Eastern (Arunachal Pradesh), Central or Middle (Sikkim, Uttarakhand & Himachal) and Western (Ladakh & Kashmir).
Sikkim Standoff
Chinese and Indian soldiers have been locked in a face- off in the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector since June 26 after Indian troops reportedly stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area.
China said that they were constructing the road within their territory and has been demanding immediate pull-out of the Indian troops from the disputed Doklam plateau.
New Delhi has expressed concern over the alleged road building, apprehending that it may allow Chinese troops to cut India's access to its northeastern states.
India has conveyed to the Chinese government that the road construction would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for it, according to the Press Trust of India.
Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.
The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
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