Beijing, July 3 (PTI): The Chinese foreign ministry today dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitley’s remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962, saying China too is different and will take “all necessary measures” to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.
Jaitley who responded to China s oblique reference to the war the two countries had fought 55 years ago and asking India to learn from “historic lessons”, had said, “If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and India of 2017 is different.”
He had also said that the current standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Sikkim sector was triggered by Beijing.
Responding to Jaitley’s remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, “He is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from 1962, just like China is also different.”
He said the border between the two nations in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated under the 1890 Sino-British Treaty.
“I would like the Indian side to respect the 1890 treaty immediately and pull back the border troops which have crossed into Chinese territory back to the Indian side of the boundary.
“China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty,” he warned.
Geng also accused India of using Bhutan as a “cover up” for the “illegal entry” into the Doklam area over which Bhutan has lodged a protest with the Chinese government.
“In order to cover up the illegal entry of the Indian border troops, to distort the fact and even at the expense of Bhutan’s independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right from wrong, that is futile,” Geng said.
He said China has “no objection to normal bilateral relations between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to the Indian side infringing on Chinese territory using Bhutan as an excuse.”
“The Bhutan side does not know previously that the Indian troops entered into the Doklam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side,” Geng said.
Asked whether any talks are going on between India and China to resolve the Sikkim standoff, Geng said, “After the illegal entry of border took place, China has lodged solemn representations at different levels with the Indian side in Delhi and Beijing.”
“The line of diplomatic communication between two sides is open and smooth,” he said.
No bulldozers used by China for destroying Indian army bunkers
New Delhi: The Indian Army today maintained that no bulldozers were used when its bunkers were destroyed by the Chinese army amid the current standoff with China in the Sikkim sector.
The army also denied that the border standoff with China is the longest ever since 1962.
“The incident is not the longest standoff between the two nations,” said a statement issued by the Army spokesman here.
The spokesman also said that no bulldozers were “ever employed” for destroying the Indian bunkers and that no physical scuffle had occurred between the personnel of Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army(PLA). A senior government functionary had earlier said that bulldozers were used to destroy the Indian bunkers.
The spokesman also claimed that no such incident ever happened on June 6 and referred to a statement made by the Ministry of External Affairs in which the date of incident was mentioned as June 16.
The spokesman went on to clarify that “Indo-China relations as also the relationship between both the armies are extremely well managed by a host of mechanisms.
“The MoD (Ministry of Defence) or the Indian Army has neither issued any official statement nor has undertaken any unofficial briefings due to the fact that such sensitive issues are best dealt between two nations away from the media glare,” the spokesman said.
He said that in this situation “as some of the acts have happened involving Bhutan, therefore, Ministry of External Affairs has already given a substantial briefing on the issue.”
