Indian and Chinese Foreign Ministers on Monday acknowledged that the standoff at Doklam earlier this year was a “difficult phase”, even as military sources indicated that both sides have boosted their military presence in the area.
An Indian diplomatic source said, “Status quo of Doklam remains unchanged. During discussions between Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi the issue came up and both sides acknowledged that Doklam was a difficult phase but now is the time to move ahead.”
Mr. Wang Yi is the first high level official from China to visit India after the Doklam standoff ended in August. He had a meeting with Ms. Swaraj, before the two joined their Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov for a trilateral meeting.
Meanwhile, sources said the deployment on both sides had altered post-Doklam. The Chinese have now stationed over 1,500 soldiers just a few kilometres from the standoff point, sources said, while the Indian Army has deployed three divisions in Sikkim.