Doklam trespass by Indian troops put severe stress on ties, caused viciousness: China

The face-off between Indian and Chinese troops at Doklam put ties between the two countries under “severe stress” and efforts to foster mutual trust over the last year were “not very satisfactory”, the foreign ministry in Beijing said on Tuesday.

The remark comes a day after Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj met her Chinese counterpart in New Delhi during what was the first visit of a senior officer since the military face-off on an icy Himalayan plateau.

The standoff lasted for two months, ending as abruptly as it had began in June this year. Indian officials have insisted that the presence of their troops in the region was to oppose the construction of a road by Chinese troops, while Beijing has repeatedly called it a trespassing.

“…In 2017, the relations between China and India have maintained their momentum of development as a whole. Both sides have made efforts in this regard. But they (the efforts) were not very satisfactory,” said the statement released by the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs (MFA).

The MFA statement quoted Wang’s interaction with Swaraj and was unusually blunt.

“The viciousness caused by the cross-border infiltration of the Indian border guards put the bilateral relations under severe pressure. The matter was finally settled peacefully through diplomatic means, reflecting the maturing of bilateral relations,” Wang said.

“However, lessons should be learned and should be avoided again,” he said, in what appeared to be a warning.

Doklam is an area under Chinese control but is claimed by Bhutan. India does not claim Doklam for itself but is closely allied with Bhutan, which it regards as a buffer against China.

The standoff ended after Beijing indicated it had halted work on a road that triggered the row.

“Sino-Indian relations are at a crucial period and the most important thing between the two countries should really cultivate mutual trust. With mutual trust, the specific problems are expected to be resolved on the basis of mutual understanding and mutual accommodation,” Wang said, stressing on the importance of mutual trust.

“To this end, both sides should strengthen strategic communication at all levels, restore the established dialogue mechanism, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, and at the same time control the existing differences and safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border areas.”

The statement quoted Swaraj as saying that the standoff was “resolved” through diplomatic means and “fully demonstrated the political wisdom of both sides”.

She said India always holds that “the common ground between India and China is far greater than their differences”.