09 August 2017

News Story: India must not flirt with disaster

BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- India should underestimate neither China's determination nor its capacity to defend its sovereignty and national interests.

India sent troops into China in June and has maintained a military presence in the Doklam area ever since, an offence to China's sovereignty and a great risk to regional stability.

Doklam is recognized by both India and the international community as part of Tibet Autonomous Region and Chinese sovereign territory.

If there is any unsettled border issue between China and Bhutan then that is an issue between China and Bhutan. It has nothing to do with India. China respects Bhutan as an independent sovereign state and resents India's attempt to turn it into a de facto protectorate.

As a great regional power, India has a duty to act in a more seemly manner rather than recklessly invading its neighbors -- weak or powerful as they may be -- based on childish assumptions and foolhardy speculations.

The bottom line in international justice is that no country may pursue its security at the cost of another's sovereignty.

Read the full story at Xinhua


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Story Quote: "The bottom line in international justice is that no country may pursue its security at the cost of another's sovereignty."

PacificSentinel: This is exactly what China is doing in the South China Sea as you read this.

Story Quote: "India complains about China's new roads, but it too has been building roads and a large number of armed Indian personnel are massed in the area."

PacificSentinel: Which is only a recent occurrence, due in no small part to China's road, railroad and airport building along the border and troop deployments in Tibet (see below).

BBC 2014 Story Quote: "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has responded to demands from his security establishment to develop its defences against China, which has reportedly beefed up its military infrastructure in Tibet with a string of new railway lines, roads and at least five new airports. 
Also, the rail route to Lhasa is likely to be extended to Nyingchu, close to the Arunachal Pradesh border, Indian military officials say.
"China has vastly beefed up its military infrastructure in Tibet and we are only catching up. Unless we do that, China will always arm-twist us on the border and try to impose a solution on its terms," says Lt Gen JR Mukherjee, former chief of staff in India's eastern army.
Last month India and China pulled back troops after a two-week stand-off near their de facto border in Ladakh. Chinese President Xi Jinping was visiting India when India accused his country of the fresh territorial incursion.

Many believe that has added to Indian apprehensions and could have influenced the decision to build the long border road that now upsets China."
PacificSentinel: There are two sides to every story, and no mater how much China may stamp it feet and call India names, they have to remember that they started the road building, they started the troop encroachments into Indian territory and that they are building a road into Bhutan's territory.