China hits back at PM Modi, claims it’s not ‘expansionist’

■ Beijing sharply reacts to PM’s speech in Ladakh

In its first-ever sharp and direct criticism of the remarks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had issued a veiled warning to China that the age of expansionism is over, the Chinese embassy in New Delhi on Friday evening said it was “groundless” to view China as “expansionist” and to “exaggerate and fabricate” its disputes with neighbours since China has peacefully demarcated the boundary with 12 of its 14 neighbours. The veiled reference was to India and Bhutan which still have unsettled land-border issues with China. However, China still has maritime territorial disputes with Japan.

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In its first-ever sharp and direct criticism of the remarks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had issued a veiled warning to China that the age of expansionism is over, the Chinese embassy in New Delhi on Friday evening said it was “groundless” to view China as “expansionist” and to “exaggerate and fabricate” its disputes with neighbours since China has peacefully demarcated the boundary with 12 of its 14 neighbours. The veiled reference was to India and Bhutan which still have unsettled land-border issues with China.

However, China still has festering maritime territorial disputes with Japan and some of the Southeast Asian countries.

Chinese embassy spokesperson Ji Rong tweeted, “China has demarcated boundary with 12 of its 14 neighbouring countries through peaceful negotiations, turning land borders into bonds of friendly cooperation. It’s groundless to view China as ‘expansionist’, exaggerate and fabricate its disputes with neighbours.”

The sharply-worded criticism, albeit veiled, made by an embassy spo-kesperson of the remarks made by the host country’s leader has raised eyebrows and indicates a sharp and deepening distrust between the two Asian giants despite ongoing talks to resolve the issue through both military and diplomatic channels. The Chinese embassy’s criticism was a swift reaction, just hours after PM Modi had made his remarks while addressing troops at Ladakh.

In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman

Zhao Lijian also said somewhat ominously on Friday that “India should avoid a strategic misjudgement on China”, calling on the two countries

“to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in border areas and safeguard bilateral ties”.

Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours have sharply deteriorated, especially after the deadly clash between troops of both armies at Galwan in the Ladakh sector in mid-June.

Apart from handling the tense border situation with India, China meanwhile has also been busy in denying human rights violations both in its western Xinjiang province and in Hong Kong, and has been accusing western nations of carrying out propaganda against it.

◗ RELATIONS BETWEEN the two neighbours have sharply deteriorated especially after the deadly clash between troops of both armies at the Galwan Valley ◗ APART FROM handling the tense border situation with India, China has also been busy in denying human rights violations in western Xinjiang province and in Hong Kong