China’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday claimed that 53 Indian troops and a bulldozer remain on the Chinese side of the Sikkim border as of August 7, the state-run Global Times reported. “India should withdraw its troops and equipment,” the ministry said in a statement. “Regardless of how many Indian troops have trespassed into and stayed in Chinese territory, they have gravely infringed on China’s sovereignty.”
On August 2, China had released a document claiming that 40 Indian troops and a bulldozer were still on the Chinese side of the border at the end of July. Beijing had released a 15-page document with maps and other details about the Doklam standoff. It also called for the two countries to sign a fresh boundary convention to replace the 1890 Sino-British treaty.
On August 4, India’s Ministry of External Affairs had said that New Delhi will continue to engage with Beijing through diplomatic channels to find a mutually acceptable solution to the border standoff at Doklam in the Sikkim sector. “It has already been conveyed to China that peace and tranquility is required in the border areas between India and China,” MEA Spokesperson Gopal Baglay had said.
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