Indian troops ready for 'long haul' stay

A diplomatic solution to the standoff in China's Doklam is not possible if Indian troops are preparing for a long stay in the area, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily news conference in Beijing on Monday.

According to Indian media reports, the Indian troops that illegally entered Doklam are maintaining "a line of supplies" and are ready to stay "for the long haul".

"If the reports are true, then they only prove that India's illegal trespass was organized and premeditated," Geng said. "India is deliberately disrupting the status quo of the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary. How could there be a diplomatic solution if India is ready to stay for the 'long haul' in the border area and does not intend to retreat its troops?"

The spokesman repeated that India should withdraw its troops immediately and that it "is the prerequisite and basis for any meaningful and substantive dialogue between the two sides".

Diplomatic communication is smooth between the two countries, but China hopes India will "take effective measures and make concrete efforts" to resolve the incident, Geng added.

In late June, China protested that Indian troops had crossed the Sikkim section of the China-India border into Doklam in an attempt to stop Chinese road construction.

The Sikkim section was defined by the Convention Between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet in 1890. China's construction in its own territory is "reasonable and lawful", Geng said.

wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn