China on Sunday dismissed India’s stand that Beijing’s construction of road in the disputed Doklam area of the Sikkim sector poses “serious security implications”. In an editorial titled “Don’t deviate from the consensus on developing China-India relations”, the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency said the Indian border troops’ attempt to stop the People’s Liberation Army of China from the construction has “cast a shadow over China-India relations”, according to PTI.
“It is well known that the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been demarcated by the 1890 Sino-British treaty,” read the editorial, urging New Delhi to withdraw its troops from Doklam to end the standoff in Sikkim.
The Xinhua commentary further asserted that China was engaged in regular activities in what it claimed was its own territory. “How can we influence others? In fact, it is the Indian side that has ignored international law and seriously interfered with China’s construction activities,” it said.
Indian journalists’ trip to Tibet cancelled
Meanwhile, China has cancelled a trip of Indian journalists to Tibet, which was scheduled for July 8 to July 15, PTI reported. The journalists, who were to visit Tibet at the Chinese government’s invitation, were informed by the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi on Sunday that their trip has been cancelled.
The trip is a sponsored visit organised by China every year for select Indian journalists to Tibet.
The Sikkim standoff
India and China have both maintained that troops from the other country transgressed into their territory. Bilateral ties have been strained since the Indian Army blocked construction of the road by China in Doklam area.
India had said on Friday that such as construction would mean a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India. New Delhi has made it clear that it will not allow China to construct a motorable road till the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction through the Doklam plateau.
On Friday, the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim was cancelled amid the continuing standoff between Indian and Chinese troops on the border.
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