China maintains rigid stance on Doklam but willing to talk to India to sort out CPEC issue

Defending its military infrastructure build up in Doklam, China today claimed that the area falls within its sovereignty and said Sino-India differences over the border should be resolved in a "calm way" through the existing mechanisms.

Commenting on Indian envoy to China Gautam Bambawale's interview to state-run Chinese daily 'The Global Times' where he said the status quo should not be changed along the sensitive areas of the 3,488-km border, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that differences can be addressed through existing mechanisms. "I believe that you are blowing it (Doklam standoff) out of proportion. I believe that in the post-Doklam period, India and China need to be talking to each other and conversing with each other much more than in the past" at different levels including at the leadership level, Bambawale had told the daily.

India and China ended the 73-day standoff on August 28 last year at Doklam area after the People's Liberation Army (PLA) stopped building a strategic road close to India's narrow Chicken's Neck area connecting the northeastern states. "Indeed, we have noted that the ambassador talked about it while addressing the issue," Hua said when asked about Indian envoy s remarks.

"The two sides should look at border issues in a calm way and resolve relevant issues through the existing border related mechanisms so that we can create conditions and enabling environment to properly solve our differences," she said. Besides a mechanism to discuss border tensions, India and China also have special representative-level border talks to resolve the differences over disputed border.

The Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China stretches to 3,488 kms. The two sides held 20 rounds of border to talks to resolve the border issues. Hua reiterated China's stand that Doklam, which is also claimed by Bhutan, is very much its territory. "I should stress that it (area) falls within China's sovereignty that we conduct facility building in Dong Long (Doklam) area," Hua responded when asked about the satellite images which showed new Chinese military facilities at Doklam.

"The Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been demarcated by historic treaty and treaty under effective jurisdiction of China," she said. China claims that the Sikkim section of the boundary is resolved under the 1890 treaty between UK and China. "China has always upheld our sovereignty along the border area including (Dong Long) Doklam," she said.

"Some Indian media has carried reports about the military build up and infrastructure building in the (Doklam) area.
They are very excited about it," she said. Asked about the local commanders' meeting held on the Republic Day during which they exchanged pleasantries, Hua said, "the local military personnel and border troops of the two sides held a meeting on India s Republic Day." "We think this is conducive to enhance mutual trust and upholding peace stability along the border areas. We are also willing to enhance our communication and cooperation to better safeguard the security there and to create a better environment in this regard," she said.

The meetings were the first since Doklam standoff. Chinese military personnel skipped such meetings on the Independence Day last year.

China today said it is ready to hold talks with India to resolve differences over the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, days after India's envoy here said the issue should not be swept under the carpet. India has objected to the CPEC - which is the biggest project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) - as it traverses through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and has become a contentious issue in India-China relations. In his interview last week, Bambawale had said "CPEC passes through Indian-claimed territory and hence violates our territorial integrity. This is a major problem for us. We need to talk about it, not push it under the carpet". "I believe, the more we talk to each other, the easier it will become to resolve problems," he said.

Reacting to the envoy's comments, Hua said China is willing to hold talks with India on the issue. "I the noted relevant report. Regarding the CPEC, China has repeatedly reiterated its position. As to the differences between China and India, China stands ready to communicate and hold talks with India to seek a proper solution so that these differences will not affect our general national interests.
This best serves the interests of the two countries," she said.

China in the past also evinced interest to resolve it through talks and even its envoy in New Delhi has said Beijing is willing to change the project's name to make it more acceptable to India. Hua also praised Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos where he said BRI is much more than just an infrastructure partnership and would go a long way in creating a shared future in a fractured world.
The BRI in the past five years has been built in a smooth way providing a large number of job opportunities and improved space and room for development, which is why it was welcomed by people in the region, Hua said. Beijing has also been clarifying that the project, which provides a strategic connection from its Xinjiang province to Pakistan's Gwadar port in Balochistan province on the Arabian Sea opposite India's west coast, will not alter its stand on Kashmir which it said should be resolved bilaterally by India and Pakistan through talks.

Hua said any differences between India and China can be resolved with sincerity and mutual respect. The parties can seek proper solution for management of the differences, she said. "We should not ask one party alone to solve this problem. We are willing to work with India to work with dialogue and communication for a better solution," she said. "CPEC is merely an economic cooperation project. It has not targeted any third party. We hope the Indian side can put this in perspective and we stand ready to strengthen cooperation with the Indian side," she said.