China lodges protest, asks India to pull back troops

beijing — China on Tuesday said it has complained to India about Indian troops “trespassing” the Chinese boundary, hinting that pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar won’t resume until the soldiers were withdrawn.

Indian and Chinese troops reportedly faced off along the border in Sikkim, the reason Beijing has attributed to stopping 47 Indian pilgrims from travelling to the sacred place in Tibet.

“We have lodged solemn representation in Beijing and New Delhi to elaborate our solemn position,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said.

“Our position to uphold our territorial sovereignty is unwavering and we hope that the Indian side can work with China in the same direction and take immediate actions to withdraw the personnel who have overstepped and trespassed into Chinese border,” Lu said. According to Indian media reports, Chinese troops crossed into Indian boundary and destroyed two army bunkers — a charge denied by Beijing.

The development will add to the existing tensions between two neighbours who have a festering border dispute. The two fought a brief but bloody war in 1962. —