BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Monday that India was violating an 1890 border agreement between Britain and China that previous Indian governments have pledged to uphold, and it should be respected to end a "very serious" incursion by India.

The border stand-off on a plateau next to the mountainous Indian state of Sikkim, which borders China, has ratcheted up tension between the neighbouring giants, who share a 3,500 km (2,175 miles) frontier, large parts of which are disputed.

According to the Chinese interpretation of events, Indian guards crossed into China's Donglang region early in June and obstructed work on a road on the plateau.

Troops from the two sides then confronted each other close to a strategic valley controlled by China that separates India from Bhutan - a close Indian ally - and gives China access to the so-called Chicken's Neck, a thin strip of land that connects India to its remote northeastern regions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing that the Sikkim part of the border had been settled in the 1890 agreement, and previous Indian governments had many times affirmed that in writing.

"Pacts must be respected - this is a basic principle of international law," Geng said.

Indian troops crossing onto the Chinese side were a violation of this historical agreement and the United Nations charter, he added.

"The nature of this is very serious," Geng said, reiterating a demand for India to withdraw its troops to its side.

India's Ministry of External Affairs referred to a statement it made on Friday, when it warned China that construction of the road near their common border would have serious security implications.

Analysts in New Delhi said that India had intervened on behalf of Bhutan. As the tiny Himalayan Kingdom was not party to the 1890 agreement between Britain and China, the dispute was between China and Bhutan over where their common border lies.

Bhutan said last week that the road was being built inside its territory.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are attending a summit of the G20 group of nations in the German city of Hamburg later this week.

Geng would not be drawn on whether the two could meet there, saying bilateral meetings for Xi at the summit were being arranged.</s>China today ruled out a compromise in the military standoff with India in the Sikkim section, and put the onus on New Delhi to resolve the "grave" situation.

In unusually blunt remarks, China's Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui said "the ball is in India's court" and it was for the Indian government to decide what options could be on the table to resolve the standoff.

Asked about remarks by official Chinese media and think- tanks that the conflict can lead to a "war" if not handled properly, the ambassador said in an interview to PTI: "There has been talk about this option, that option. It is up to your government policy (whether to exercise military option)."

The Chinese government is very clear that it wants peaceful resolution at current state of the situation for which withdrawal of Indian troops from the area is a "pre- condition", he asserted.

"The first priority is that the Indian troops unconditionally pull back to the Indian side of the boundary. That is the precondition for any meaningful dialogue between China and India," he said.

China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan trijunction for past 19 days after a Chinese army's construction party came to build a road.

Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. China and Bhutan are engaged in talks over the resolution of the area. Bhutan, however, has no diplomatic ties with China and it is supported militarily and diplomatically by India.

"The situation is grave and made me deeply worried. It is the first time that Indian troops have crossed the mutually recognised boundary and trespassed into China's territory, triggering a close range face off between Chinese and Indian border troops. Now 19 days have passed, but the situation still has not eased," Luo said.

He also asserted that India has no right to interfere with the China-Bhutan boundary talks, nor is it entitled to make territorial claims on behalf of Bhutan.

On the standoff, the Ministry of External Affairs had said India was "deeply concerned at the recent Chinese actions and has conveyed to the Chinese government that such construction would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India".

"As for the so called 'security concerns' of the Indian side, India has crossed a delimited boundary into other country's territory in the name of security concerns, no matter what kind of activities it conducts there, which will not acceptable to any sovereign state.

"India cannot encroach upon the territory of other countries on the ground of its 'security concerns'. Otherwise, the world would be in chaos," the Chinese envoy added.

He also asserted that "it is critical that India shall withdraw its troops immediately to minimise the negative impact. It serves the interests of the two sides."</s>Sino-Indian ties, already beset with acrimony and discord, took another hit last week after Indian troops stopped Chinese attempts to build a road near the Sikkim-Bhutan border. What led to this

 stand-off and the subsequent rancour and sabre-rattling? Could it escalate into a full-blown conflict?

Perhaps it’s America. Perhaps it’s badminton,” joked a senior Indian diplomat, when asked about the Chinese intrusion into Bhutan last week and the subsequent face-off with Indian forces. He was referring to Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth’s recent victory over Olympic and two-time world champion Chen Long at the Australian Open Superseries final in Sydney, and PV Sindhu’s win against Sun Yu of China in the finals of China Open, making her the third non-Chinese athlete to win that tournament in the last 30 years.

But jokes aside, the already strained Sino-Indian ties took another hit last week after Indian troops stopped Chinese attempts to build a road near the Sikkim-Bhutan border. And in an unprecedented role reversal, China has demanded that India remove its soldiers from ‘Chinese territory’. The last time such a request was made was probably way back in the early 1960s following Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s “forward policy”, aimed at staking claim to disputed areas of the Sino-India border. But since the brief yet decisive border war of 1962, it has mostly been India accusing the PLA of “transgressions” or “intrusions” on Indian soil.

Even more unprecedented is the fact that the “Chinese territory’’ from which Beijing wants Indian troops withdrawn, is controlled by Bhutan, that calls it the Doklam Plateau. China, however, calls it the Donglang region, and insists that the area—near the tri-junction of Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet—belongs to Tibet.

This 270 sq km plateau extends to the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction overlooking the vulnerable Chicken’s Neck, or the Siliguri Corridor, a narrow stretch of land flanked by Nepal in the west, Bangladesh in the east, and Bhutan in the north. Anyone controlling the area could completely sever northeastern India from the mainland.

The Indian Army not only trains the Royal Bhutan Army, but also conducts joint patrols along the Bhutan-China border. Initial reports said that a Chinese road-building party in the area had been challenged by such a joint patrol, forcing them to stop. The next day, Chinese troops responded by razing a deserted Indian outpost near Sikkim. It also blocked a batch of some 50 pilgrims undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nathu La—a pass in Sikkim few kilometres from Nathu La—and said the “route’s reopening entirely depends on whether the Indian side can correct its mistakes in a timely manner.” Nathu La was opened to pilgrims in 2015. Pilgrims taking the older and longer route from Uttarakhand have not been stopped so far.

“This time the Indian side needs to be taught the rules,” threatened an editorial in the Global Times. Bhutan, which does not have diplomatic relations with China, also issued a demarche to Beijing, claiming Doklam as its own. “Doklam has been part of China since ancient times... It does not belong to Bhutan, still less India. China’s construction of road in Doklam is an act of sovereignty on its own territory,” declared a Chinese foreign ministry official.

In a tersely worded clarification on June 30, India “underlined that the two Governments had in 2012 reached agreement that the tri-junction boundary points between India, China and third countries will be finalised in consultation with the concerned countries. Any attempt, therefore, to unilaterally determine tri-junction points is in violation of this understanding. India is deeply concerned at the recent Chinese actions and has conveyed to the Chinese government that such construction would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India.”

All this comes at a time when bilateral relations are already strained over India’s refusal to buy into China’s grand Belt and Road initiative, and Beijing’s constant veto of India’s efforts to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group and get Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar declared a terrorist at the UN. New Delhi allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh earlier this year despite howls of Chinese protests hasn’t been forgotten. It also comes at a time when India has clearly aligned with the United States over issues like maritime navigation rights in the South China Sea and the need to adhere to international treaties.

The fact that this incident blew up just around the time that Modi was exchanging bear hugs and extended handshakes with US President Donald Trump is perhaps no coincidence. “China is trying to tell us in no uncertain terms that America will not and cannot help us if they start needling us here on the border,” says Lieutenant General (retd) J S Bajwa, the editor of Indian Defence Review and the author of a seminal book on the People’s Liberation Army. “But we should not let them push us around.”

 That is apparently the message Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, who reached Gangtok in Sikkim on Thursday as part of a visit to a number of other formation headquarters in the Northeast, conveyed to top commanders posted in the region.

“The recent spate of PLA incursions into India and Bhutan are hardly isolated incidents,” Maura Moynihan wrote in the Epoch Times in 2013. In 1962, she noted, Mao Zedong prophesied that China would one day conquer Tibet’s ‘Five Fingers’: the Indian territories of Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunchal, and the nations of Bhutan and Nepal... “Take Beijing’s word for it: They are ready,” she declared.

 Most Indian analysts, however, dismiss the possibility of events escalating into an armed conflict, saying neither side can afford it. But some also say that China is somewhat taken aback by India’s decision to come to Bhutan’s aid, and that given Beijing’s ‘unforgiving’ and unpredictable nature, India better be ready too.

One War, Several Battles in the High Himalayas

The beginning: January 1950

 India establishes diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China, becoming the second non-communist nation to do so. In October, China occupies Tibet. Border clashes with India erupt in 1954 after New Delhi discovers that China had built a road through Aksai Chin, which India claims.

March 1959

 The Dalai Lama, spiritual and temporal head of Tibetans, reaches India. Accusing India of interference, China claims huge swathes of India.

October 1962

 China launches a two-pronged attack on India, from Ladakh and Arunachal, then part of India’s Northeast Frontier Agency. War ends on November 21, 1962 with China declaring a unilateral ceasefire and withdrawing behind the original lines. India withdraws posts from Aksai Chin, giving China control of the region.

September 1967

 Indian and Chinese troops trade fire at Nathu La in Sikkim (then an Indian protectorate), after India repulsed Chinese intruders trying to stake claim to the region. Days later, another exchange of firing occurs in Cho La, north of Nathu La. Estimates of fatalities range from 150-600 in the two incidents.

July 1976

 Ties are re-established for the first time since the 1962 war. In 1986, China intrudes into Arunachal and constructs a helipad. Early 1987, large-scale troop movements are reported on both sides with Western diplomats even predicting war. By the summer of 1987, after India’s strong stand, both sides back away from conflict. And in 1988, Rajiv Gandhi becomes the first Indian PM to visit China after Nehru’s 1954 Hindi Chini Bhai-Bhai romance.

April 2013

 China intrudes into Daulat Beg Oldi, Ladakh, the Depsang plains of Aksai Chin and Arunachal. The Depsang incursion is 19-km deep. China backs off after 21 days. In July 2016, China intrudes into Uttarakhand, part of the ‘middle sector’ which it didn’t enter even during the 1962 war. China has also repeatedly violated Indian airspace in this sector in 2017.

June 2017

 Sino-Indian ties take another hit after India stops Chinese attempts to build a road near the

 Sikkim-Bhutan border.

‘On the Border, PLA Plays Kho-Kho’

 The infamous transgression in Depsang ‘subtly’ choreographed to coincide with the visit of the Chinese President Xi Jinping to India in 2013 is truly the strangest act of ‘military diplomacy’ in recent history! Later again in Chumar, Chinese troops, for the first time, adopted the ‘jostling’ tactic. This involved pushing forward by leaning with their dead weight on anyone stopping them, and quickly sitting down on the ground if they felt they were yielding ground. And when they saw a chance they leapt forward and sat down further inside – call it ‘kho-kho’ tactics! ... A traditional Indian rural sport now adopted and adapted by the PLA. The troops of both sides were sans any personal weapons. The same tactic has been applied in Doklam. India treads a heavily mined path to stake its rightful place in the comity of nations; it will be subjected to such barbs and jostling. The place at the summit is always limited. I sincerely hope that petty politicking does not let India down.

‘India Must Handle Situation Firmly’

 The last face-off was nearly five decades ago in the same area, and the army records indicate that there were heavy casualties on the Chinese side. The independent policies pursued by Modi to engage the US, Japan and other western powers is being seen by China as actions aimed at challenging China’s aspirations to be a global power replacing the US. Modi’s government has concentrated on strengthening the much-neglected infrastructure and military capability in the North East much to the consternation of the Chinese leadership. China is also peeved that India has not endorsed its OBOR initiative. It has no qualms in investing heavily in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a disputed area, while advocating maintenances of status quo on South China Sea where there are multiple disputes. It is obvious that the recent provocation along the Sikkim border is not a sudden development but a response to some of the recent initiatives by Modi which can alter the strategic balance ... it is clear that India has to handle the situation firmly and stand up to the designs of the aggressive neighbour who does not hesitate to buttress its claims by use of force.</s>BEIJING: China said on Monday that India was violating an 1890 border agreement between Britain and China that previous Indian governments have pledged to uphold, and it should be respected to end a "very serious" incursion by India.

The border stand-off on a plateau next to the mountainous Indian state of Sikkim, which borders China, has ratcheted up tension between the neighbouring giants, who share a 3,500 km (2,175 miles) frontier, large parts of which are disputed.

According to the Chinese interpretation of events, Indian guards crossed into China's Donglang region early in June and obstructed work on a road on the plateau.

Troops from the two sides then confronted each other close to a strategic valley controlled by China that separates India from Bhutan - a close Indian ally - and gives China access to the so-called Chicken's Neck, a thin strip of land that connects India to its remote northeastern regions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing that the Sikkim part of the border had been settled in the 1890 agreement, and previous Indian governments had many times affirmed that in writing.

"Pacts must be respected - this is a basic principle of international law," Geng said.

Indian troops crossing onto the Chinese side were a violation of this historical agreement and the United Nations charter, he added.

"The nature of this is very serious," Geng said, reiterating a demand for India to withdraw its troops to its side.

India's Ministry of External Affairs referred to a statement it made on Friday, when it warned China that construction of the road near their common border would have serious security implications.

Analysts in New Delhi said that India had intervened on behalf of Bhutan. As the tiny Himalayan Kingdom was not party to the 1890 agreement between Britain and China, the dispute was between China and Bhutan over where their common border lies.

Bhutan said last week that the road was being built inside its territory.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are attending a summit of the G20 group of nations in the German city of Hamburg later this week.

Geng would not be drawn on whether the two could meet there, saying bilateral meetings for Xi at the summit were being arranged.</s>Though not a part of Indian territory, the plateau holds immense strategic importance for Delhi and is vital to its geopolitical interests.

"The area in contention is extremely close to a very vulnerable stretch of Indian territory that effectively connects the bulk of India to its northeastern states," Shashank Joshi, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London told CNN.

"Additional construction could skew the local balance of power in China's favor, essentially leaving India more vulnerable to invasion in case of a military confrontation with Beijing."</s>Beijing: Amid rising tensions over their border row, China has cancelled the upcoming visit by a group of Indian journalists to Tibet.

China has been organising annual trips for journalists from Nepal and India for quite some time.

"I looked forward to visiting Tibet. But two days ago I was told by the Chinese embassy that the trip has been cancelled," Vijay Naik, Convenor of the Indian Association of Foreign Affairs Correspondents, told IANS.

"Perhaps, it is because of the recent tension. They would have thought let things cool down first," Naik added.

The duration of the trip was from July 8 to 15.

Like Naik, journalists from other India media houses were invited. It was not known if the trip for journalists from Nepal was on.

Last year, Indian and Nepali journalists were taken to the Tibetan capital Lhasa, Chengdu in Sichuan and other places besides Beijing.

Tension has risen between India and China over the current standoff between their armies in Doklam (Donglong) in the Sikkim sector.

The region at the tri-junction of Bhutan, China and India is a disputed territory between Thimpu and Beijing.

India troops reportedly stopped the Chinese from building a road in the area since its ownership is yet to be decided.

China calls the area its own, a claim which Bhutan contests.</s>China will have no choice but resort to “military” option if India “refuses to listen”, a Chinese expert has warned over the festering border row. “China is trying its best to use historical lessons to reason with India and show sincerity in peacefully solving the problem, but if India refuses to listen, then China would have no other choice than to use a military way of solving the problem,” Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Social Science, was quoted as saying by Global Times.

The state-run newspaper, on Monday, carried a report quoting “observers” that “there could be a chance of war if the recent conflict between China and India is not handled properly”. “India is provoking China because it wants to prove to the US it could contain China while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in the US,” Hu said.

Tensions between India and China have risen over the border row in Sikkim sector as both sides have refused budge in Doklam region, where the armies of both sides are engaged in a stand-off. Doklam also referred to as Donglong by China is a disputed zone between Beijing and Thimphu.

Bhutan has opposed the road construction by the Chinese army, citing the disputed status of the region. China has called the action just since Donglong “is on Chinese territory”. India seconds Bhutan as the ownership of Doklam is yet to be decided. Moreover, the presence of Chinese army in Doklam has security implications for India as the region is close to Siliguri corridor, which connects India’s northeast to the rest of the country.</s>China's official news agency accused India of "ignoring international law" and "seriously interfering" with China's construction activities, amid the on-going stand-off in the Sikkim sector.</s>BEIJING: India should shed its "strategic anxiety" over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and join the Belt and Road Initiative to become a cooperative partner and not a rival, a state-run Chinese news agency said today, amid a standoff between the two nations in the Sikkim sector.

The commentary in Xinhua - India's China-phobia Might Lead To Strategic Myopia - criticised New Delhi's boycott of the Belt and Road Forum conference held in May and asked India to shed its "China anxiety".

India boycotted the BRF after sovereignty concerns over the USD 50-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which traverses through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Then, India said the Chinese ambitious initiative must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The piece did not mention the CPEC by name, but referred to the BRI - the umbrella project under which the CPEC falls.

The commentary in Xinhua, considered an official view, said "despite its strategic discomfort, it is important for India to get over its 'China anxiety' and carefully assess the initiative, recognise its potential benefits and seize the opportunities".

"Instead of being rivals, the two countries, both of which are ancient civilisations endowed with a rich history, could become cooperative partners," it said, citing the speech of Liu Jinsong, deputy chief of mission of the Chinese embassy in India who had said "the sky and ocean of Asia are big enough for the dragon and elephant to dance together, which will bring about a true Asian Age."

After India's boycott of the BRF, official Chinese media have been carrying out articles asking India to reconsider its decision to not back the BRI.

A recent official "white paper" by China on the 21st Maritime Silk Road even offered to link the CPEC with the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor in order to provide India greater access to Central Asia.

Observers say China's repeated invitations to India to join the BRI highlights its own anxieties over the adverse impact of New Delhi's lack of support to the multi-billion dollar investments in South Asia as it would deny access to India's market consisting over 1.2 billion people.

Today's commentary said "staying away from the initiative is not the best choice New Delhi could have made."

"It could have voiced its concerns and opinions on public occasions or in official statements as China is always willing to discuss all problems and possibilities with India on the basis of mutual benefits," it said.

"Though proposed by China, the Belt and Road is not a 'Chinese project.' It is a multilateral initiative, with win- win results at its core," it said.

The commentary came as troops of India and China are in a face-off since June 16 over the Chinese military's attempt to construct a strategic road in Doklam region of the Sikkim sector, which India and Bhutan is strongly objecting to.

While Bhutan has said the road is being built unilaterally by China in an area it controls, India said it is deeply concerned at the Chinese action as the road construction "would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India."</s>BEIJING, July 3 (Reuters) - China said on Monday that India was violating an 1890 border agreement between Britain and China that previous Indian governments have pledged to uphold, and it should be respected to end a "very serious" incursion by India.

The border stand-off on a plateau next to the mountainous Indian state of Sikkim, which borders China, has ratcheted up tension between the neighbouring giants, who share a 3,500 km (2,175 miles) frontier, large parts of which are disputed.

According to the Chinese interpretation of events, Indian guards crossed into China's Donglang region early in June and obstructed work on a road on the plateau.

Troops from the two sides then confronted each other close to a strategic valley controlled by China that separates India from Bhutan - a close Indian ally - and gives China access to the so-called Chicken's Neck, a thin strip of land that connects India to its remote northeastern regions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing that the Sikkim part of the border had been settled in the 1890 agreement, and previous Indian governments had many times affirmed that in writing.

"Pacts must be respected - this is a basic principle of international law," Geng said.

Indian troops crossing onto the Chinese side were a violation of this historical agreement and the United Nations charter, he added.

"The nature of this is very serious," Geng said, reiterating a demand for India to withdraw its troops to its side.

India's Ministry of External Affairs referred to a statement it made on Friday, when it warned China that construction of the road near their common border would have serious security implications.

Analysts in New Delhi said that India had intervened on behalf of Bhutan. As the tiny Himalayan Kingdom was not party to the 1890 agreement between Britain and China, the dispute was between China and Bhutan over where their common border lies.

Bhutan said last week that the road was being built inside its territory.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are attending a summit of the G20 group of nations in the German city of Hamburg later this week.

Geng would not be drawn on whether the two could meet there, saying bilateral meetings for Xi at the summit were being arranged. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Tommy Wilkes in NEW DELHI; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Amid growing tensions between China and India and Bhutan over the Doklam tri-junction, a spokesman on behalf of Bhutan via India Today urges India and China to "de-escalate the situation at the border and bring back normalcy". India and China have been locked in a military stand-off at the Doklam tri-junction since late June.