China says ready for ‘all-out confrontation’

beijing — China on Tuesday again told India to withdraw its troops from the disputed border at Doklam as a Chinese newspaper warned that Beijing was battle ready and not afraid to go to war with India in an “all-out confrontation”.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said foreign diplomats in Beijing were briefed over the Doklam stand-off and that Indian troops had “illegally” crossed the mutually recognised China-India boundary on the Sikkim section.

China doesn’t fear going to war to safeguard sovereignty either, and will make itself ready for a long-term confrontation Duo Mu, in Global Times

He said India “should not take the illegal trespass as a policy to realise its political target” adding, the foreign diplomats in Beijing were “shocked” over the trespass by India. China and India have a 3,488-km border, of which 220 km falls in the Sikkim sector where Doklam is situated. Doklam is at a tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan. China calls Doklam its own, a claim contested by India and Bhutan.

China said India violated international rules by “illegally entering into the Chinese territory”. Beijing has been trying to rally international support behind it.

“The illegal trespass by the Indian border personnel has drawn extensive attention from the international community and many foreign diplomatic missions in China said they were shocked by this,” Lu said.

Meanwhile, a commentary by Duo Mu in the state-run Global Times said China doesn’t fear going to war and will make itself ready for a long-term confrontation. “China doesn’t fear going to war to safeguard sovereignty either, and will make itself ready for a longterm confrontation,” said the commentary. —