Do not back India on Doklam issue, Beijing warns Japan
Japan has rallied behind India over the dragging feud at Doklam, with its envoy Kenji Hiramatsu saying that the region is disputed and Tokyo understands why New Delhi got embroiled in it.
China on Friday told Japan not to make ‘random’ comments on the Sino-Indian border stand-off even if it wants to support New Delhi.
Japan has rallied behind India over the dragging feud at Doklam, with its envoy Kenji Hiramatsu saying that the region is disputed and Tokyo understands why New Delhi got embroiled in it.
“I have seen the Japanese Ambassador in India really wants to support India. I want to remind him not to randomly make comments before clarifying relevant facts,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.
She rebutted Hiramatsu who said that Doklam, on the Sikkim section of the India-China border, was disputed and no country should change the status quo by using force.
“In the Donglang (Doklam) area, there is no territorial dispute. And the boundary has been delimited and recognized by the two sides,” Hua said.
“And the attempt to change the status quo by trespass in the boundary is by India, not China.”
Japan is the first country to openly speak on the crisis and back India.
Hua again asked India to immediately withdraw troops from Doklam, where both sides have been engaged in a stand-off since June.
She said India’s unconditional pullback will be the basis for any meaningful dialogue to resolve the crisis, which has plunged ties between two countries to a new low.
Earlier, the Japanese Embassy in India said that Japan is closely watching the Doklam stand-off between India and China and that no country should make an attempt to unilaterally change status quo by force.
The endorsement of the Indian position by Japan is a significant development at a regional level as China has violated agreements with Japan as well and not with only India and Bhutan.
It is pertinent to mention that Japan is also engaged with the sovereignty issue with China over East China sea.
Doklam is disputed by Bhutan and China. India says the area belongs to Bhutan and Chinese soldiers entered the area, affecting New Delhi’s strategic interests.
Meanwhile, as the Doklam stand-off is approcahing its second month, China's Foreign Ministry has reiterated that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops would continue to defend Dong Lang, which is Chinese territory, and India should withdraw all its troops and equipment from there.