Beijing confirms Indian troops have pulled back from Doklam; what about Chinese Army?

The Doklam standoff, which went on at the India-China border in Sikkim for over two months, finally came to an end on Monday, August 28. While the Indian Ministry of External Affairs released a statement at noon, saying that the two countries had decided to resolve the standoff and that the troops had started pulling back, Beijing has strangely remained tight-lipped on the matter.

Even as official statements were made on the withdrawal of troops from the Doklam region, China only confirmed that the Indian side had pulled back. While the Indian Express quoted an official as saying that the troop withdrawal was "mutual and simultaneous," and added that "the two sides went back to their positions almost simultaneously, following standard operating procedures of withdrawal," the official did not reveal which side started the withdrawal first.

However, China's official news agency Xinhua said on Monday that Beijing conducted on-site checks and confirmed that "India has withdrawn personnel and equipment from Dong Lang (Doklam)," but did not say if China too had pulled its troops back.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that the on-site checks were conducted around 2.30 pm and also noted that China will continue to patrol the region despite the standoff being resolved.

The Chinese army spokesperson echoed Hua's statement and said that the army will stay vigilant and defend the sovereignty of the country. "Peace and stability along China-India border concerns regional peace and stability and accords with the common interests of the two peoples," Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said.

"We remind India to draw lessons from the stand-off, abide by established treaties and the basic principles of international law, and work together with China to safeguard peace and stability along the border and promote the healthy development of the two militaries."

Why is the Global Times warming up to India overnight? 

While the Chinese Army is still asking India to respect borders and saying that China will remain vigilant, the Global Times, which garnered quite some limelight for its over-the-top threats and warnings, seems to be suddenly warming up to India. Just yesterday, it has carried an editorial which said that India is unlikely to get Japan's support and might be fighting a pointless war. 

But the Chinese daily now seems to be praising India, at least when it comes to the country's medical facilities. In a story titled "Chinese patients head to India for latest medicines after domestic crackdown," the daily speaks about how Chinese patients are travelling to New Delhi to seek medical assistance through its "cost-effective and high-quality medical services."

Tagging India as a "pharmacy of the developing world," it went on to explain that the Indian government has granted compulsory licenses for expensive drugs so that they can be manufactured freely, unlike China that "sets strict barriers and hefty prices on imported drugs."

Not just in terms of availability of medicines, the daily also lauded the facilities in Indian hospitals. "The professionalism and cleanliness of India's private hospital is impressive. It's more like a hotel, unlike Chinese hospitals which are so crowded," it quoted a liver patient as saying.