China on Tuesday reiterated its demand that Indian troops pull out from the Doklam plateau in Bhutan, criticising the Indian Army for “illegally crossing” the border using Chinese road building as an excuse.
“The Indian side illegally crossed the boundary on the excuse of... Chinese road building. The reason is ridiculous, vicious and facts are clear,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. “You may think about it. If we tolerate India’s ridiculous logic, then anyone who dislikes the activity at his neighbour’s home can break into its neighbour’s house.”
“Does that mean when China thinks that large-scale construction of infrastructure at the border area of India is posing a threat, it can enter Indian territory? Wouldn’t that be utter chaos?” Ms. Hua added.
Her remarks follow the conduct of live drills by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at an unknown location, seemingly to reinforce the perception that a military option in Doklam was under active consideration. The Global Times daily reported that the manoeuvres were conducted by China’s Western Theatre Command and that they were meant to “strike awe in India”.
However, analysts highlighted that China routinely conducts military exercises in late summer in large swathes, including Xinjiang and Tibet. They pointed out that so far there had been no signs of concentration of forces along the Tibet-India frontier.