http://www.thehindu.com/news/intern...-doklam-china-tells-india/article19586167.ece
Foreign Minister Wang Yi says stand-off ended only after Indian forces pulled back
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesay said the 73-day stand-off between India and China in Doklam ended after India withdrew its troops, and hoped New Delhi will “learn lessons” (from the stand-off) and prevent such incidents in future.
Both countries withdrew their troops just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China to attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit from September 3 to 5.
“Face-off due to Indian trespassing”
“The border face-off caused by Indian trespassing has been settled,” Mr. Wang told the media in Beijing, while answering a question from the Chinese media reports that India withdrew its troops to provide a face-saver for China after reaching a settlement.
''Media may have carried speculation and reports but as per the 'authoritative information' with the Chinese government, Indian troops have withdrawn from the area in the afternoon of August 28, which 'brought the face-off to an end',” he said.
“That is a basic fact and of course, we hope that the Indian side will learn lessons from this incident and prevent similar things from happening again,” he said.
MEA mum on remarks
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) did not immediately comment on the Chinese Minister’s remarks.
Troops of the two countries had been lin a stand-off isince June 16 after Indian troops stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in the strategically key region, a disputed area between China and Bhutan.
The construction of the road could give China a major military advantage over India at the Bhutan-China-India tri-junction.
“Problems are but natural”
Mr. Wang, who was addressing a press conference on the BRICS summit to be held in Xiamen city next week, said:
“India and China are two big countries. It is natural that there are some problems in our interactions.
“What is important is that we put these differences at appropriate place and under the principle of mutual respect and following the consensus of our leaders, we need to handle and manage them properly.
“In the meantime, with our engagement through different mechanisms we need to work out a solution in the long run.”
Mr. Wang evaded a direct reply to whether there will be a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping.
“There will be bilateral meetings and interactions between the participating leaders which is natural practice,” he said.
India on Tuesday announced that Mr. Modi will take part in the summit.
“On the sidelines of the BRICS meeting, Xi will also have meetings with some leaders upon their request. Once relevant arrangements are decided, we will let you know. The first thing is whether the leaders will have the willingness to meet. If there is willingness of the leaders participating in the meeting, as a host, the Chinese side will try to make it possible if our schedule programme permits,” Mr. Wang said.
Ironing out the wrinkles
“We hope through the efforts of both sides we will maintain the healthy and stable momentum of growth for China-India relations” in the interest of Chinese and Indian people as well as meeting the aspirations of the international community and neighbouring countries.
Mr. Wang said there was huge potential and space for greater cooperation between China and India and such cooperation served the interest of both countries.
“We hope China and India will join hands and work together for rejuvenation of Asia and for the development of our region and contribute our share to greater development,” he said.
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Press Trust of India, Beijing, Aug 30 2017, 15:31 IST
In picture: former Indian Ambassador to China Ashok Kantha. Photo credit: ANI
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/630555/indias-refusal-budge-dokalam-resonate.html
India's refusal to back off from Dokalam standoff despite heavy pressure mounted by China will have a wider resonance in the region against Beijing's assertive behaviour, former Indian Ambassador to China Ashok Kantha said.
India and China on Monday ended their standoff in Dokalam by withdrawing their troops from the area. Troops of the two countries had been locked in a standoff in Dokalam since June 16 after Indian troops stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in the strategically key Dokalam region, a disputed area between China and Bhutan.
"The way India dealt with Dokalam standoff has wider resonance. Because what the Chinese are trying to do in Dokalam is part of a larger pattern," Kantha, who served as India's envoy here from 2013 to January last year, told PTI in a wide ranging interview on the Dokalam issue from Delhi over phone.
China is trying to achieve its contested territorial claims though unilateral actions like the disputed South China Sea, where smaller states have accepted Beijing expansive territorial claims as a "new normal".
"But that did not happen in Dokalam. India and Bhutan did not follow the script, so China has to back off and revisit their position," Kantha, now Director of a New Delhi-based think tank, the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), said.
"If India succumbed to Chinese pressure, it would have made it even more difficult for China's smaller neighbours to stand up. It would have undermined India's credibility, first in Bhutan and other South Asian neighbours," he said.
"How we dealt with it definitely has resonance in terms of encouraging greater pushback in the region to China's assertive behaviour. This also may lead to some introspection on the part of China, specially why the rise of China and its behaviour is creating anxieties among its neighbours”, he said.
Both India and Bhutan challenged changing facts on the ground catching China by surprise, while showing restraint on the ground, he said.
Also, India "very deliberately and consciously made an effort not to indulge in tit for tat polemics as only through a quiet diplomacy a solution can be found", he said.
Also, the assessment on the Indian side is that there was no real risk of war breaking out and war was not an option for either side including on the Chinese side so that there is space to convey our concerns and interests, he said.
"China also realised that finding resolution by taking recourse through force is really not an option.
Notwithstanding what they were saying, they had to find a diplomatic solution. Since India maintained a firm position, given the BRICS summit was around the corner, China didn't want it to be overshadowed by Dokalam standoff," he said.
While there will be greater clarity in the coming days about the understanding reached between India and China to end the 73-day standoff, India has achieved its objective to prevent China from building the road close to the narrow Chicken Neck connecting the North-Eastern states, he said.
"That was the provocation for Indian personnel to step into the area of standoff. The objective has been achieved and we have also managed to defuse the situation," without India yielding space he said.
Kantha said China also has shown flexibility after initial belligerence.
"Initially they said there has to be unilateral Indian withdrawal to enter into meaningful talks. They changed their position and agreed on mutual engagement, which has been achieved through bilateral understanding. Now they also indulged in war like rhetoric, but came around to accepting that the use of force is not an option for them," he said.
India on the contrary dealt with Dokalam in a more mature and sensible way.
Though both the countries have managed to defuse the current situation, Dokalam standoff has seriously affected the bilateral relations, he said.