China discredits India's excuses for illegal trespassing

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying speaks at a daily press briefing on Aug 22, 2017. [Photo/fmprc.gov.cn]

BEIJING - China hopes that India will take practical and positive actions to correct its incorrect words and deeds, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying made the comments after Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Monday that even though India is not aggressive and has never initiated an attack, it will not compromise on security.

Singh said a solution would soon be found to the ongoing stand-off between India and China at Doklam and that he hoped Beijing will make a positive move in this regard.

Hua reiterated that the prerequisite and basis for resolving the incident is that India immediately and unconditionally withdraws its trespassing border troops and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary.

Although China is a peace-loving country and firmly upholds peace, it will resolutely defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity and never allow any country to violate its territorial sovereignty for any reason, she said.

Singh said global opinion is that India has never cast an evil eye on any country, nor does it harbor an expansionist attitude that threatens its neighbors.

However, Hua said the facts are that Indian troops have illegally crossed the delimited boundary which has been recognized and abided by for nearly 130 years by both China and India, have continued to stay in the Chinese territory, and India has invented various excuses to justify its illegal actions.

"We hope that India can match its words with actions and immediately withdraw its troops and equipment that have encroached into Chinese territory," she said.

The Times of India reported Monday that Indian officials have recently discussed the situation in Doklam with their Russian counterparts, reiterating India's position that by constructing a road China was unilaterally changing the status quo and that this had serious security implications for India.

The Dong Lang (Doklam) area is undisputed Chinese territory, said Hua, noting that India's intrusion into Chinese territory under the pretext of China's road building lacks legal grounds and India's arguments are simply untenable.

According to a position document on the Indian border troops' illegal trespass into Chinese territory, China's road building on its own territory is aimed at improving local transportation. China did not cross the boundary in its road construction, and it had notified India in advance.

Following India's logic, if China feels that India's infrastructure construction in border areas threatens Chinese security, China can openly send troops to Indian territory to stop it, said Hua.

She warned that If India's absurd logic is tolerated, international norms will be undermined.

China has so far exercised a high degree of restraint, she said, hoping that India will act like a big country and come up with a responsible and reasonable attitude towards the resolution of the incident.