China’s defence ministry has demanded that India immediately withdraws its troops from a disputed border region, warning that no one should underestimate the Chinese army’s resolve to defend its sovereignty.
The overnight statement from Beijing raises concerns of an escalation in military action on the Doklam plateau after several weeks of tension between Chinese and Indian soldiers in the sparsely-populated region.
The dispute started on June 18 when the tiny Himalayan country of Bhutan found Chinese soldiers had arrived near the border to build a mountain road. Both Beijing and Thimphu claim the region, but Bhutan co-ordinates its relations with China through India.
India responded by sending troops to evict the Chinese soldiers. Both sides have called for talks, but neither has backed down.
“Since the incident occurred, China has shown utmost goodwill and sought to communicate with India through diplomatic channels to resolve the incident,” Ren Guoqiang, spokesman for China’s Ministry of Defence, said. “Chinese armed forces have also shown a high level of restraint with an eye to the general bilateral relations and the regional peace and stability.
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“However, goodwill has its principles and restraint has its bottom line.”
China claims sovereignty over the area and insists it has the right to build, as it continues its One Belt, One Road initiative that aims to establish a modern silk road trade route through Asia to Europe, using modern transport and infrastructure. India sees the road construction as a threat to its control over a crucial land corridor between its mainland and northeastern states.
It is also dealing with China’s continued ambition to dominate the Indian Ocean and South China Sea, where it is building islands and installing military bases in contested waters.
The two countries were engaged in a war that lasted less than a month in 1962, over contested borders.