India should ‘strictly control’ its border troops: Chinese military spokesman

BEIJING (AFP): Chinese Defence Ministry Spokesman Col Ren Guoqiang has said that India should “strictly control” its troops and ensure implementation of border agreements to maintain peace along the border, Indian Express reported.

“We hope the Indian side can earnestly implement the relevant agreements reached between the two sides on the border issue and strictly control its border defence troops and do more for the positive development of China-India military-to-military relationship,” he said in a media talk in Beijing.

The Chinese military has “played its due role in the handling of the hotspot issues such as the Sino-Indian confrontation in the Donglang (Doklam) area and safeguarded China’s rights and interests in the South China Sea,” the military official said.

The stand-off at the Doklam plateau began on June 16 and sparked what some analysts said was the worst crisis in decades between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

India does not claim Doklam for itself but is closely allied with Bhutan, which it regards as a buffer against rival China to the north.

India on August 28 said it had agreed with China to end a months-long military stand-off at the strategically important disputed area in the Himalayas and troops were disengaging.

“As far as we know both sides have agreed that it is important to maintain peace stability along India-China border and create favourable conditions for further development of bilateral relationship, which has provided a good environment and good momentum for the continued enhancement of China and India relationship,” Col Ren said.

In terms of China and India military-to-military relationship, it is important to have strategic communication and push forward healthy development of ties between the two militaries, he added.

“We hope Indian side walk towards the same direction as the Chinese side and both sides can push forward the development of the relationship and jointly maintain the peace and stability along the China-India border which is in the interest of both sides,” he said.