Withdraw troops before talks: China to India over border standoff

TIL Desk/World/Beijing/ Amidst the ongoing tension between India and China over the Sikkim border issue, the political counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in India, Li Ya, has suggested India to withdraw its troops from Doklam before peace talks between the two sides.

“As far as solution is concerned, the Indian troops must pull back to Indian side of the boundary unconditionally and immediately. This is the precondition for any meaningful dialogue between China and India,” said Li, in a video issued by the Chinese Embassy, over the border standoff between the two sides.

He claimed there was no support to India’s claim that the Doklam area belong to Bhutan, adding that China has strong evidence to prove that Doklam belongs to them.

“We have strong evidence to prove that Doklam belongs to China. Doklam has always been the traditional pasture for Chinese border inhabitants. Archives of Xi Zang Autonomous Region still retain some receipts of the grass tax paid by Bhutanese herdsmen. Today, the Chinese border troops still patrol there and the herdsmen graze their livestock there, and production and living facilities have been built there,” he explained.