China demands India pull out troops from disputed Himalayan territory
China has called on India to withdraw its troops from a disputed territory in the Himalayan Mountains near the borders with China and Bhutan and avoid an “escalation of the situation.”
According to Press TV, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lu Kang said in a Tuesday press briefing “We have stated many times that we hope the Indian side will get a clear understanding of the situation (and) immediately take measures to withdraw the troops that illegally crossed the border back to the Indian side of the border.”
Lu further reiterated that Indian troops must withdraw before any talks can take place over the disputed territory.
China and India-backed Bhutan have been locked in a standoff over a tri-junction at their common border for decades.
Tensions between China and India intensified last month when Chinese workers began building a road at the disputed Doklam Plateau, which New Delhi says is Bhutanese territory. Bhutan then responded by asking India — which backs Bhutan’s territorial claims — for assistance, prompting the deployment of the Indian troops across the border.
According to local press reports, Delhi further warned Beijing that the road was a “serious security concern” since it would give China access to the “Chicken’s Neck,” a thin strip of land that links India’s seven northeastern states to the rest of the country.
The deployment infuriated Beijing, which retaliated by shutting down a nearby mountain pass that Indian pilgrims used to reach Mount Kailash, a sacred Hindu and Buddhist site in Tibet.
The Tuesday remarks by the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman also came just days after China staged 11 hours of live-fire drills in Tibet, near the disputed territory.
The drills, according to Chinese media reports, included an army brigade equipped with rocket launchers, heavy machine guns, and mortars. They also involved tracking and targeting “enemy planes.”
Press reports also indicate that both India and China reinforced their troops in the area last month, with each side deploying nearly 3,000 additional soldiers.
ME
