Doklam standoff: Indo-Nepal relations will be put to test

Illustration Ajit Ninan
Illustration Ajit Ninan
Author

07 August, 2017

The warning was issued in a commentary carrying a byline of Zhong Sheng. Accusing the Indian troops of illegally crossing into the Chinese territory, he reiterated China's stand that the Indian side should withdraw its troops "immediately and unconditionally".

"We have all the legitimate rights to construct the road in Chinese territory", Ren said during a two-hour interaction with Indian journalists organized by the All China Journalist Association.

It alleged that Indian troops were illegally staying in Chinese territory after illegally crossing the border on June 18.

On August 2, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had issued an official document titled ' Concerning the Indian Border Troops' Crossing of the China-India Boundary in the Sikkim Sector into the Chinese Territory' giving its side of the story.

Analysts say that India has objected to Chinese road construction as it altered the status quo in the disputed tri-junction area of China, India and Bhutan, contrary to the 2012 agreement of the Special Representatives of the two countries.

The report read, "It is universally recognized that once a boundary is established by a convention, it will come under particular protection by worldwide law, the commentary noted, stressing that the China-India boundary in Sikkim sector is delimited by the 1890 Convention between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet".

It explained that the boundary in the Sikkim Sector has always been delimited by the 1890 Convention, which was signed between then China and Great Britain.

The article further denied the justification put forward by India for "the actions" and termed the latter's "security concerns" to be "ill-founded. There is no dispute in this regard", it said, adding that India had no right as a third party in the equation to make territorial claims on behalf of Bhutan.

"China and India ought to sign a new boundary convention in their own names to replace the 1890 Convention", said the daily. Col Ren also questioned why India has maintained silence over China's plans to build the road even after Beijing informed New Delhi twice.

The standoff took place after China started building a road in an area claimed by Bhutan.

The Congress spokesperson also questioned the Modi government's logic behind scrapping the proposal of the UPA government to raise a Mountain Division force. "China will not allow the military standoff between China and India in Doklam to last for too long, and there may be a small-scale military operation to expel Indian troops within two weeks", Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted by Global Times on August 5 as saying.

"The Chinese troops at the faceoff site are backed by around 1,500 PLA soldiers in three layers towards the rear".

Some of the key issues are execution of the decade-old Mahakali Treaty, a memorandum of understanding on reconstruction projects in Nepal, expediting India-funded projects and several cross-border connectivity projects.


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