Taking a tough stance on the Sikkim standoff, India on Wednesday dismissed China's demand that Indian Army must immediately withdraw its troops from Doklam near the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction.
"Indian forces stand as previously against the Chinese troops," government sources were quoted as saying by India Today, adding that there has been no troop reduction in the region.
Earlier on Wednesday, China had released a statement demanding "immediate and unconditional withdrawal" of Indian troops from Doklam and also accused India of "concocting" excuses over illegally sending troops into Chinese territory. It added that China had shown great restraint over the matter.
"The Indian side not only has not taken any actual steps to correct its mistake, it has concocted all sorts of reasons that don't have a leg to stand on, to make up excuses for the Indian military's illegal crossing of the border," the Chinese foreign ministry said in the statement.
"Since the incident broke out, India has invented various excuses to justify its illegal action, but its arguments have no factual or legal grounds at all and are simply untenable," it added.
In another statement, the Chinese foreign ministry said that "over 400" Indian soldiers had "advanced over 180 metres into Chinese territory." It added that "there were still over 40 Indian border troops and one bulldozer illegally staying in the Chinese territory."
Citing the 1890 border agreement between China and Britain, the ministry said that India's actions, besides being a major encroachment of Chinese territory, posed a challenge to peace and stability in the region and normal international border.
The statement said that standoff, which began on June 18, happened in an area where there is a clear and delimited boundary.
"This makes it fundamentally different from past frictions between the border troops of the two sides in areas with undelimited boundary. The Indian border troops' crossing of the already delimited boundary is a very serious incident as it violates China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," it said.
The statement added that China would not tolerate any attempt to violate the country's sovereignty.
"The fact of the matter is that it is India which has attempted time and again to change the status quo of the China-India boundary in the Sikkim Sector, which poses a grave security threat to China," it said.
Informed India about road-building activity: China
On Wednesday, China had also said that it had informed India in advance about the building of roads in the Doka La region on the Sikkim border and also dismissed India's claims that China was trying to change the status quo of the region by carrying out its road-building activity.
Reiterating its demand that India must withdraw troops from Doka La, China said that troops from the other side "transgressing" into Chinese territory was "indeed a real attempt to change the status quo of the boundary, and it has gravely undermined peace and tranquillity of the China-India border area."
China's comments came in a document titled 'The Facts and China's Position Concerning the Indian Border Troops Crossing of the China-India Boundary in the Sikkim Sector into the Chinese Territory'.
India had expressed concern over China's plans to build a road in the region saying that it may pose a security threat as the project would allow Chinese troops to cut India's access to its seven states in the Northeast.
However, China dismissed India's concerns saying: "To cross a delimited boundary and enter the territory of a neighbouring country on the grounds of so-called 'security concerns', for whatever activities, runs counter to the basic principles of international law and basic norms governing international relations."
The document also said that there were no issues between China and Bhutan and that both countries were deliberating on the boundary issue, which should be none of India's concern.
"The China-Bhutan boundary issue is one between China and Bhutan. It has nothing to do with India. As a third party, India has no right to interfere in or impede the boundary talks between China and Bhutan, still less the right to make territorial claims on Bhutan's behalf," it said.
