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http://www.indiatoday.in/story/chin...ent-almost-complete-india-says/1/1035968.html
China too withdrawing troops from Doklam, disengagement process almost complete, India says
IndiaToday.in | New Delhi | Monday, August 28, 2017
India on Monday released a second statement on the Doklam standoff to say that China too was withdrawing its troops from the face-off site where Indian and Chinese soldiers have been squaring off for over two months
HIGHLIGHTS
The MEA said this in an extraordinary second press release issued on the topic mere hours after spokesperson Raveesh Kumar first released a statement at around noon, announcing that "expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site in Doklam has been agreed to [between India and China] and is on-going."
The wording of the MEA's first statement and subsequent comments by the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, however, raised questions about whether it was a mutual withdrawal of border troops, a solution that New Delhi preferred, or if it was only the Indian troops that were withdrawing from the area.
Speaking in Beijing, Hua said that China is pleased over India's withdrawal in Doklam (which China calls Donglang) but stated that Chinese troops will "remain in the region" and exercise their "sovereignty over the region".
"In the afternoon of August 28, the Indian side pulled back all the Indian troops and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary and the Chinese personnel have verified this," Hua said. "The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty and uphold its territorial integrity in accordance with historical conventions."
Asked if the disengagement was from both sides, Hua repeated the same statement. "Just now you mentioned that the Indian side has said it is a mutual engagement, but I want to stress that India has withdrawn all the personnel and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary. Chinese personnel on the ground has verified this and Chinese border troops continue to patrol in the Donglang area."
China, however, did indicate that there was a change taking place at the standoff site on the Doklam plateau. "In the light of the changes of the situation on the ground China will make necessary adjustment and deployment," the foreign ministry spokesperson Hua said.
With China refusing to expressly state that its border troops would too withdraw from the Doklam standoff site, speculation over whether it was a loss of face for India continued.
SECOND STATEMENT
The MEA, however, has seemingly sought to shut down such speculation, taking the unusual step of releasing a second statement on the issue. The second statement is clearer in saying that soldiers of both India and China had, earlier in the day, begun an "expeditious disengagement" at Doklam. "This process has since been almost completed under verification," the statement added.
It added that India has always maintained that differences on boundary issues can only be resolved through diplomatic channels, reiterating the point made earlier by India that behind-the-scenes diplomatic parlays were what played a role in resolving the weeks-long Doklam standoff.
Notably, China all along has maintained that Beijing would not even enter into diplomatic dialogue with New Delhi until Indian troops 'unconditionally withdrew' from the Doklam standoff site. India, however, seems to have clearly stated that not only was diplomatic contact with China maintained during the Doklam crisis but also that the diplomacy had successfully managed to help the two nuclear-armed neighbours agree to mutually withdraw from the face-off site, a solution that New Delhi had preferred all along.
THE ROAD NOT MENTIONED
Neither India's two statement nor the Chinese foriegn ministry made any reference to the metal-top road in the Doklam region, the construction of which had sparked the over two-month-long Doklam standoff in the first place.
India had said that the Chinese construction in an area contested between China and Bhutan violated agreements between Beijing and Thimpu and, perhaps more importantly from New Delhi's perspective, had serious security implications for India.
India feared that a metal-top road in the Doklam region could help China bring itself closer to the so-called Chicken's Neck that connects India to its Northeast. In case of a military conflict, China could move to cut India off from the Northeast, New Delhi feared.
China, on the other hand, claimed Dolkam to be its sovereign territory and said that it building a road in the region was completely lawful.
What happens to the road remains unclear - at least officially. Sources have informed India Today that China has indeed agreed not to construct a road in the region.
THE STANDOFF
The standoff began mid-June after Bhutan border guards spotted Chinese People's Liberation Army personnel constructing a metal-top road on the Doklam plateau.
India sent its troops into the region to prevent the Chinese construction activity, a move that resulted in the soldiers from the two sides pitching tents on their respective sides and entering into a face-off that would continue for weeks to come.
Diplomatically the issue soon heated up with Beijing strongly asserting that it saw no solution to the standoff except an unconditional withdrawal by India. New Delhi, for its part, said that a mutual withdrawal was the best possible solution and indicated on several occasions that diplomatic parlays to diffuse the crisis were on.
The Doklam standoff was marked by its length and by the particularly rhetorical tone that Chinese media took on the issue. Chinese state media kept up a barrage of near-daily articles and opinion pieces either slamming and discrediting India's stand on Doklam and, on occasion, even warning of war.
Am I the only one happy that India is going to continue the confrontation?
China too withdrawing troops from Doklam, disengagement process almost complete, India says
IndiaToday.in | New Delhi | Monday, August 28, 2017
India on Monday released a second statement on the Doklam standoff to say that China too was withdrawing its troops from the face-off site where Indian and Chinese soldiers have been squaring off for over two months
HIGHLIGHTS
- India, China both withdrawing troops from Doklam: MEA
- Disengagement process almost complete: MEA
- China had earlier refused to confirm whether it too was withdrawing from Doklam.
The MEA said this in an extraordinary second press release issued on the topic mere hours after spokesperson Raveesh Kumar first released a statement at around noon, announcing that "expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site in Doklam has been agreed to [between India and China] and is on-going."
The wording of the MEA's first statement and subsequent comments by the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, however, raised questions about whether it was a mutual withdrawal of border troops, a solution that New Delhi preferred, or if it was only the Indian troops that were withdrawing from the area.
Speaking in Beijing, Hua said that China is pleased over India's withdrawal in Doklam (which China calls Donglang) but stated that Chinese troops will "remain in the region" and exercise their "sovereignty over the region".
"In the afternoon of August 28, the Indian side pulled back all the Indian troops and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary and the Chinese personnel have verified this," Hua said. "The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty and uphold its territorial integrity in accordance with historical conventions."
Asked if the disengagement was from both sides, Hua repeated the same statement. "Just now you mentioned that the Indian side has said it is a mutual engagement, but I want to stress that India has withdrawn all the personnel and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary. Chinese personnel on the ground has verified this and Chinese border troops continue to patrol in the Donglang area."
China, however, did indicate that there was a change taking place at the standoff site on the Doklam plateau. "In the light of the changes of the situation on the ground China will make necessary adjustment and deployment," the foreign ministry spokesperson Hua said.
With China refusing to expressly state that its border troops would too withdraw from the Doklam standoff site, speculation over whether it was a loss of face for India continued.
SECOND STATEMENT
The MEA, however, has seemingly sought to shut down such speculation, taking the unusual step of releasing a second statement on the issue. The second statement is clearer in saying that soldiers of both India and China had, earlier in the day, begun an "expeditious disengagement" at Doklam. "This process has since been almost completed under verification," the statement added.
It added that India has always maintained that differences on boundary issues can only be resolved through diplomatic channels, reiterating the point made earlier by India that behind-the-scenes diplomatic parlays were what played a role in resolving the weeks-long Doklam standoff.
Notably, China all along has maintained that Beijing would not even enter into diplomatic dialogue with New Delhi until Indian troops 'unconditionally withdrew' from the Doklam standoff site. India, however, seems to have clearly stated that not only was diplomatic contact with China maintained during the Doklam crisis but also that the diplomacy had successfully managed to help the two nuclear-armed neighbours agree to mutually withdraw from the face-off site, a solution that New Delhi had preferred all along.
THE ROAD NOT MENTIONED
Neither India's two statement nor the Chinese foriegn ministry made any reference to the metal-top road in the Doklam region, the construction of which had sparked the over two-month-long Doklam standoff in the first place.
India had said that the Chinese construction in an area contested between China and Bhutan violated agreements between Beijing and Thimpu and, perhaps more importantly from New Delhi's perspective, had serious security implications for India.
India feared that a metal-top road in the Doklam region could help China bring itself closer to the so-called Chicken's Neck that connects India to its Northeast. In case of a military conflict, China could move to cut India off from the Northeast, New Delhi feared.
China, on the other hand, claimed Dolkam to be its sovereign territory and said that it building a road in the region was completely lawful.
What happens to the road remains unclear - at least officially. Sources have informed India Today that China has indeed agreed not to construct a road in the region.
THE STANDOFF
The standoff began mid-June after Bhutan border guards spotted Chinese People's Liberation Army personnel constructing a metal-top road on the Doklam plateau.
India sent its troops into the region to prevent the Chinese construction activity, a move that resulted in the soldiers from the two sides pitching tents on their respective sides and entering into a face-off that would continue for weeks to come.
Diplomatically the issue soon heated up with Beijing strongly asserting that it saw no solution to the standoff except an unconditional withdrawal by India. New Delhi, for its part, said that a mutual withdrawal was the best possible solution and indicated on several occasions that diplomatic parlays to diffuse the crisis were on.
The Doklam standoff was marked by its length and by the particularly rhetorical tone that Chinese media took on the issue. Chinese state media kept up a barrage of near-daily articles and opinion pieces either slamming and discrediting India's stand on Doklam and, on occasion, even warning of war.
Am I the only one happy that India is going to continue the confrontation?
