China says will strengthen patrols along the border
NEW STAND Days after Doklam row ends, China says it’s reinforcing border controls, patrols to safeguard the country’s sovereign security
BEIJING: China will strengthen patrolling and defences in the Doklam area, the People’s Liberation Army announced on Thursday, days after the end of a twomonth standoff with India in the region near the Sikkim border.
Border troops from the two countries were involved in a faceoff in the region, which is under China’s control but claimed by Bhutan, from mid-June after Indian soldiers stopped Chinese personnel from building a road over strategic security concerns.
“China’s armed forces will strengthen patrolling and defence of the Donglang area to resolutely safeguard the country’s sovereign security,” defence ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqing told a news briefing, using the Chinese name for Doklam. Military has paid “close attention to the situation” and taken “emergency measures to reinforce border controls” since the standoff, Ren was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
“The Chinese military will continue to carry out its mission and responsibilities, strengthen its patrols and garrisons in the Donglang area and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security,” he added.
The standoff was resolved on Monday as Indian troops withdrew from the area and China, without clearly saying so, gave enough indications that it had halted work on a road construction project that triggered the row.
India sent troops into the area in June to stop work on the road in the remote, uninhabited territory. New Delhi said at the time the road would alter the status quo and pose a serious security threat.
Ren also said Chinese troops would “resolutely maintain the country’s territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights”, adding that the Chinese said had used military diplomacy and border contact channels to promote the resolution of the issue.
Neither side has so far offered details of terms of disengagement. On Wednesday, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi said India should learn its lesson and prevent such incidents in future.