BEIJING – China should remain alert of possible border disputes with Indiain 2018 as India regards China as the biggest threat and some of itsmilitary officials have an unfavourable view of bilateral ties, a Chineseexpert said in response to a report that India plans to deploy 15battalions in border areas.
“The Doklam standoff has harmed the mutual diplomatic and military trustbetween China and India.
Some senior officials in India bear hostility towards China and regardChina as the biggest threat,” Zhao Gancheng, director of South Asia Studiesat the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told the Global Times.
According to Indian media, the Indian government plans to deploy 15battalions to the country’s two important border forces to fortify defencealong the strategic frontiers with Pakistan, Bangladesh and China.
China should stay alert and make preparations for possible disputes likethe Doklam one as India is strengthening its military deployment in theborder area, Zhao said.
Indian Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat told a press conference last week thatChina was exerting pressure on India along the border, but asserted thatthe Indian Army was fully capable of dealing with any security challenge onthe northern frontier. He said that India would focus on the northernborder.
A public WeChat account affiliated with the People’s Daily said in anarticle that Rawat’s remarks revealed that India deliberately trespassedthe border in June 2017 and had prepared for possible military clashes withChina.
“The Doklam area belongs to China. The Sikkim section of the China-Indiaboundary was delimited… China will continue to exert its rights in theDoklam area and firmly safeguard territorial sovereignty,” according to astatement by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang.
“We asked the Indian military to learn their lessons and abide by theboundary treaty in an effort to safeguard the peace and stability in theborder areas and create a good atmosphere for developing bilateral ties,”Lu said. – APP