India incursion and Chinese standoff at Dolam, Bhutan

Nearly two months have passed since Indian troops illegally crossed the China-India boundary in Sikkim Sector, and there is no sign of withdrawal so far.

What the Indian side has done is committed seven "sins" against Chinese sovereignty and international law. These severe mistakes may trigger unpredictable consequences and greatly undermine regional peace and stability.

India's military trespassing is an infringement of China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. On June 18, Indian border troops, carrying weapons and driving bulldozers, illegally crossed the boundary in the Sikkim Sector at the Duo Ka La (Doka La) pass and entered Chinese territory.

For almost two months, India has maintained its military presence in the Doklam area, a place recognized by both India and the international community as part of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Chinese sovereign territory.

It is fundamentally different in nature from past frictions between the border troops of the two sides at an undefined part of the boundary.

The blatant move contravenes the 1890 Convention between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet, which has clearly delimited this part of the boundary between the Tibet Autonomous Region and India's Sikkim State.

Every Indian government since independence has confirmed the boundary as it stands under the Convention. It is hard to understand why India abandons its previous position at this time.

Once a boundary is established by a convention, it is under the protection of international law. It is obvious that India's military invasion, under the pretext of so-called "security concerns," tramples on the principles of the law as well as international order and cannot be tolerated by any sovereign state.

Since the incident broke out, India has invented various excuses to whitewash its illegal move and smear China's normal and legitimate activities, but its arguments have no factual or legal grounds and are simply untenable.

India has argued that China's building of roads would represent a "significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India," but the fact is, Chinese construction is being conducted within its own territory. It is India that has broken the status quo by trespassing onto Chinese soil.

Even more ridiculous, India has attempted to justify its incursion in the name of "protecting Bhutan," arguing that Doklam is Bhutanese territory.

The fact is that the Bhutanese authorities have clearly told Chinese officials that Doklam is not Bhutan's territory and expressed bewilderment at India's trespassing into Chinese soil.

Matters concerning the China-India-Bhutan boundary tri-junction have nothing to do with this incident. By kidnapping an unrelated third party to stir up troubles in the border area, India seeks to obstruct border negotiations between China and Bhutan.

China has a strong will to solve the problem peacefully, but the prerequisite is that the Indian trespassers must withdraw unconditionally and immediately. China will never negotiate with an invading force when its national territorial integrity remains infringed.

The Indian side keeps playing lip service of seeking diplomatic channels to resolve the issue while refusing to withdraw its troops.

India must be fully aware that as a reckless intruder to its neighbors, it should take responsibility for inflaming border tensions and swallow possible consequences.

Click to expand...

james smith esq said:

...

It might also provide Xi with an impressive backdrop to the upcoming party meetings!

Click to expand...

China has once again called for the immediate withdrawal of Indian troops from Chinese territory.

According to a statement released by the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, there were still 53 Indian troops and one bulldozer on Chinese soil.

The ministry added that China is firm in its resolve to defend its territorial sovereignty.

Click to expand...

taxiya said:

And as Kashmir is not legally divided.

Click to expand...

timepass said:

There are numerous UN resolutions for self determination for Kashmir people.

Its not a border dispute ....its a freedom movement.

Click to expand...

taxiya said:

Another option is "China getting in Kashmir" as Wang Wenli asked Indian journalists during a media conference held for Indian news outlets. If this part of border is in dispute as India says, so is Kashmir. If India justifies its involvement here on behalf of Bhutan, so can China get inside Indian controlled Kashmir on behalf Pakistan.

If China actually do something such as joint patrol with Pakistan or even limited incursion into Indian Kashmir, China can get even with India without any force used here. You stand on my territory, I stand on your claimed territory, I won't shot you, what would you do? That would be a good question for India to think of. And as Kashmir is not legally divided, China's move won't bear any legal problem.

Click to expand...

vesicles said:

Kashmir is a huge mess. I don't think it's a good idea to get into something this messy.

Click to expand...

vesicles said:

I don't know how many Indian and Pakistani troops are in Kashmir now, but it's not a few hundred. .

Click to expand...

vesicles said:

IMHO, China is about to act. This is a lot like what led up to the China-India border conflict in 1962. China intensified its diplomatic missions when they were about to attack. In my opinion, we will see some serious action within weeks, if not days...

Click to expand...