Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s car was pelted with stones during his visit to the flood-affected town in Gujarat but he escaped unhurt. CHINESE CHEQUERS
CHINA UPS THE ANTE TO FORCE INDIA TO VACATE THE DISPUTED AREA IN BHUTAN THAT IT CLAIMS TO BE OF ITS OWN TERRITORY
China has warned India that its “restraint” in the prolonged military standoff in the Sikkim sector has a “bottom line”, despite New Delhi’s assertion that it would follow diplomacy to solve all disputes.
The reaction from the Chinese defence ministry on Thursday night came a day after India’s external affairs ministry in a statement said that the peace and tranquillity of the India-China boundary constitutes the important prerequisite for the smooth development of bilateral relations.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj last month made clear India’s position on the over-a-month-long standoff in the Doklam area, saying both sides should first pull back their troops for any talks to take place, favouring a peaceful resolution.
On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China will not allow anyone to “split An editorial in state-run Global Times website says Chinese Army has made sufficient preparation for military confrontation. its territory” and lauded his armed forces’ resolve to protect the country’s sovereignty and defeat “all invasions”.
“No one should expect us to swallow the bitter fruit that is harmful to our sovereignty, security or development interests,” Xi said as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is engaged in a standoff with Indian troops at Doklam in the Sikkim section.
The standoff began on June 16 after Chinese troops began constructing a road near the trijunction with Bhutan, which India says was a unilateral action by Beijing to change the status quo in the area. New Delhi fears the construction of the road would allow China to cut off India’s access to its northeastern states.
Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson of the Chinese defence ministry, in a statement called on the Indian side to swiftly address the situation in a proper manner to restore Chinese defence ministry said its armed forces have shown enough goodwill to India, but their restraint has a bottom line peace and tranquillity in the border region. “Since the incident occurred, China has shown utmost goodwill and sought to communicate with India through diplomatic channels to resolve the incident. Chinese armed forces have also shown a high level of restraint with an eye to the general bilateral relations and the regional peace and stability,” Ren said, according to report in the state-run Xinhua news agency.
“However, goodwill has its principles and restraint has its bottom line,” Ren added.
Meanwhile, an editorial posted on the website of the state-run Global Times said that, “over the past month, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been on the move. We believe that the PLA has made sufficient preparation for military confrontation” with India. India, however, claims that it is engaging China using diplomatic channels to find a mutually acceptable solution.
No one should expect us to swallow the bitter fruit that is harmful to our sovereignty, security or development interests. There are various means and choices to safeguard peace and security and prevent war, but military means should remain the final guarantee. The Chinese people love peace. We will never seek aggression or expansion, but we have the confidence to defeat all invasions
— XI JINPING, Chinese President