Doklam standoff: India, China dig their heels further in

The Doklam standoff between the armies of India and China doesn't seem to be finding a resolution anytime soon. China's ministry of foreign affairs has released a document called 'The facts and China's position concerning the Indian border troops' crossing of the China India boundary in the Sikkim sector into the Chinese territory'.

The lengthy document says that on June 18, 2017, over 270 Indian soldiers, carrying weapons and driving two bulldozers crossed the boundary in the Sikkim sector at the Doklam pass and advanced over 100 metre into Chinese territory to obstruct the road building of the Chinese side. It further accuses India of sending upto 400 soldiers at one point and setting up three tents. "As of the end of July, there were still over 40 Indian border troops and one bulldozer illegally staying in the Chinese territory,'' the document says. 

It further says that the incident occurred in an area where there is a clear and delimited boundary, which makes it fundamentally different from past frictions. 

The Chinese threat becomes clear in this statement: No country should ever underestimate the resolve of the Chinese government and people to defend China's territorial sovereignty. China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate and lawful rights and interests. 

The document says that India should immediately and unconditionally withdraw its trespassing border troops. 

The statement then softens a bit, talking about good neighbourly ties between the two largest developing countries, but the tone remains uncompromising throughout. 

The note even pooh poohs India's attempts for diplomatic solution to the standoff alleging that the Indian arguments do not have legal or factual standing and that India's reasoning that China's road building has serious security implications has no standing. 

While Beijing has been belligerent on this issue since the matter popped up, the detailed document clearly reveals that China is not going to take even one step backward. 

India has responded with an equally firm statement. "India considers that peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas is an important prerequisite for smooth development of our bilateral ties with China.'' The ministry of defence sources said that around 350 soldiers have been stationed in the Doklam area since the standoff started. "There is status quo on the Indian side, our troops have not reduced," it said.