India’s border claim will lead to chaos: China
China on Tuesday said there will be “chaos” in the region if it follows India’s “ridiculous” logic and enters Indian territory to disrupt construction projects along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that Beijing perceives as a security threat.
Beijing has blamed New Delhi for the military stand-off at Doklam or Donglang near the Sikkim border – now into its second month - and accused Indian soldiers of trespass and preventing Chinese soldiers from building a road in the region, which is claimed by Bhutan.
“If we tolerate India’s ridiculous logic, then anyone who dislikes the activity at his neighbour’s home can break into his neighbour’s house,” foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a news briefing.
She added: “Does that mean when China thinks that largescale construction of infrastructure in the border area is posing a threat, it can enter India’s territory? Wouldn’t that be utter chaos?”
China wants India to withdraw its troops from Doklam before the two sides open talks. New Delhi says the road, if built, will alter the status quo.
The Indian government has also said China’s road construction activity has serious security implications and highlighted the geographic proximity of the proposed road to its vulnerable “chicken's neck”, the narrow stretch of land connecting the mainland to the remote northeastern states.
Chinese state media has accused India of “double standards” since the country is going ahead with many construction projects along the LAC while talking about its security concerns related to Chinese projects.
Hua described the reasons given by India for its actions as “ridiculous” and said the “facts are clear”.
“So the only prerequisite condition for the settlement (of the stand-off) is to withdraw the personnel and equipment by the Indian side,” she said.
“So the fact is that the Indian side has illegally trespassed the boundary and violated the agreement on the boundary that has been recognised and abided by (for) over 130 years. So we urge the Indian side to take concrete actions and make positive moves to correct its wrongdoing,” she added.
“China loves peace and firmly upholds it. At the same time we will safeguard our territorial integrity and sovereignty. We allow no country or any individual to infringe upon China’s territorial sovereignty,” Hua said.
On Monday, China had blamed India for a skirmish between troops of the two sides in Ladakh last week, saying Indian forces triggered the scuffle in which some Chinese soldiers were injured.
The foreign ministry said China has lodged its “serious concerns” over the incident, which occurred along the LAC.
“The Chinese side has verified that on August 15, the normal patrol conducted by the Chinese border troops in the Chinese side of the LAC near Pangong Lake in the western part of the China-India boundary was obstructed by the Indian border troops. The Indian side took some violent actions to collide and scuffle with the Chinese side, which injured the Chinese personnel,” the ministry said.
India's action, it added, had violated the consensus on upholding peace and tranquillity in border areas and endangered the situation of the western part of the boundary.
If we tolerate India’s ridiculous logic, then anyone who dislikes the activity at his neighbour’s home can break into his house HUA CHUNYING, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson