News Report: China Objects to Japanese Investment in India's 'Disputed' Northeastern Frontier

In a marked departure from traditional policy, India has opened up the northeastern frontier region to foreign investments, but China says the border is “disputed” and until a resolution is agreed upon, the involvement of third parties would not be welcomed.

New Delhi (Sputnik) – A day after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wrapped up his two-day India visit, promising enhanced bilateral strategic and economic ties, including stepping up investments in the remote northeastern states of India, China’s Foreign Ministry took the chance to remind India about its claims over the region.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said China is against any foreign investments, including from Japan, in India’s northeast region and is opposed to any third party’s involvement in resolving its border disputes with the country.

“You also mentioned the Act East policy. You must be clear that the boundary of the India and China border area has not been totally delimited. We have disputes on the eastern section of the boundary,” Chunying said during a regular media briefing in Beijing.

News Report: Army Chief’s Sabre Rattling Shows 'Intellectual Turmoil of India’s Bureaucracy'

Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat said the country must be prepared for a two-front war with Pakistan and China; accused China of “testing our limits.”

New Delhi (Sputnik) – China has tried to downplay Indian Army Chief’s war-invoking statement as one not necessarily reflective of the Indian government’s stance. An Indian expert has also backed China’s position while pointing out that the statement exposes the “intellectual turmoil of India’s bureaucracy.”

“The comments expose the intellectual turmoil of India’s bureaucracy. It's cryptic comments are belied by the sharp end of Indian diplomacy’s alarm about ‘salami tactics’. Moreover, this public divergence of views does not say much about the political leadership’s managerial skills. What India needs is a comprehensive solution, which is only possible if third parties are given their due. After all, on Beijing’s side is history and it reinforces its will to push its claims. Exacerbating all this is a Pakistan always in the wings, ever ready to swoop. In the face of these totalitarian regimes, the only thing India can do is to start acting like a democracy, open its decision making to scrutiny, and thereby demonstrate that we do indeed hold the moral high ground,” Deep K. Datta-Ray, the author of ‘The Making of Indian Diplomacy: a critique of Euro-centrism’ (OUP, New York) told Sputnik.

News Story: India's army chief says China 'testing limits' after stand-off

India's army chief has said his country must be prepared for war and accused China of "testing our limits", days after the nuclear-armed neighbours ended one of their worst border stand-offs in decades.

General Bipin Rawat said India could not afford to be complacent and should be prepared for the possibility of an all-out war.

"As far as our northern adversary is concerned, flexing of muscles has started," Rawat said late Wednesday at a Delhi-based think-tank, in reference to China.

"The salami slicing, taking over territory in a very gradual manner... testing our limits of threshold is something we have to be wary about and remain prepared for situations which could gradually emerge into conflict."

"Whether these conflicts will be confined or limited in space and time or whether these can expand into an all-out war along the entire front (remains to be seen)," the Army chief said.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Report: Army Chief - India Must Be Ready for War on 2 Fronts

India’s army chief has warned the nation to be prepared for a possible two-front war — with China and Pakistan — at the same time.

General Bipin Rawat warned China would continue its efforts to “nibble away” at India’s territory, as it did during a recent standoff in the Himalayas that ended last week. He said more incidents like the standoff at Doklam plateau in Bhutan could lead to a larger conflict on India’s northern border.

If that were to happen, Rawat warned, it is possible Pakistan would seize the opportunity to strike its arch nemesis from the west.

“We have to be prepared for conflict on the northern and western borders,” he said.

“As far as our western adversary is considered,” he said in reference to Pakistan, “we don’t see any scope of reconciliation because their military, the polity, and the people in that nation have been made to believe that India wants to break their country into pieces.”

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since both nations gained independence from Britain 70 years ago. India and China have also fought once since then.

All three nations are nuclear powers, but Rawat said that will not necessarily be a deterrent.

“Nuclear weapons are weapons of deterrence. Yes, they are. But to say that they can deter war or they will not allow nations to go to war, in our context that may also not be true,’’ he said.

Rawat made the comments at a seminar organized by the Center for Land Warfare Studies, a New Delhi-based think tank.

This story first appeared on Voice of America & is reposted here with permission.

News Report: India, China Clash on Terrorism Ahead of BRICS Summit

Despite India's strong resolve to initiate a discussion on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism at the BRICS Summit, China says it will not allow India to rake up the issue.

New Delhi (Sputnik) – India's External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar has said that India will not put up with terrorism in the name of religion, indicating that the issue would be the main agenda of discussion by India during the BRICS Summit which is going to be held in Xiamen China from 3 to 5 September.

“Our position on terrorism is very clear, we have raised it at different foras and said that we strongly condemn terrorism and no one could justify and support it in the name of religion. I do not want to pre-empt what our leaders will discuss there. As far my knowledge is concerned, terrorism is an important issue,” Kumar said during a press conference today.

News Report: Modi Appoints Woman Defense Minister as he Revamps Cabinet

Anjana Pasricha

NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed a woman as a defense minister on Sunday as he reorganized his Cabinet in an effort to deliver on key pledges ahead of general elections due in a year and a half.

Nirmala Sitharaman will be the first woman to handle the important portfolio in 35 years, India’s former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had also held charge of the defense ministry.

Sitharaman, a 58-year-old former junior commerce minister, takes charge at a time when India’s tensions with both its northern neighbors, China and Pakistan, have been running high. She is credited with being tough, efficient and articulate.

She is the second woman to hold a top post in the Cabinet, Sushma Swaraj is the country’s foreign minister.

"There is a big message to all the countries that look up to India or look at India, saying, 'What is happening to women in India?,” Sitharaman told a television channel.

News Report: India Seeks More Maritime Support From Neighbors to Oust China From Indian Ocean

India has been pushing for a collective security mechanism with its maritime neighbors to prevent China from making further inroads into the Indian Ocean region where India has its strategically most important economic zone.

New Delhi (Sputnik) – In view of the increasing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean Region, India is lobbying hard for a consensus among other countries of the region to support India. India’s foreign minister, Sushma Swaraj is in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, where she addressed the inaugural session of the second Indian Ocean conference. She called for the development of a security architecture for collective action.

“We will use our capabilities for the collective well being, and the mutual benefit of our maritime neighbors and island states in building their capabilities. As we envisage the Indian Ocean as an engine for growth and prosperity in our region and beyond, it is of utmost importance that these waters remain safe and secure. We consider it an imperative that those who live in this region bear the primary responsibility for the peace, stability and prosperity of the Indian Ocean,” Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said. 

News Report: Here to Stay - Standoff Ends, but China to Maintain Military Presence in Doklam

The high-altitude standoff between China and India on the Doklam Plateau may have come to an end, but the military buildup in the region will continue. The Chinese Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that they would beef up patrols and garrisons in Doklam to "safeguard national sovereignty and security."

The Doklam Plateau went from a remote, virtually-uninhabited mountain range along the disputed border of China and Bhutan to one of the most important geopolitical sites in the world overnight, when on June 16 Chinese soldiers and construction workers arrived to build a road through the plateau.

India rushed to defend their ally Bhutan's territorial claim, and years of tensions between the two most populous nations in the world suddenly exploded. Both sides talked tough, threatening and insulting one another for 10 tense weeks, even expressing a desire to go to war at times — and then on August 28, both sides pulled back with barely a comment.

News Report: End of Border Standoff with China Satisfies India, but It Will Not Lower its Guard

Anjana Pasricha

As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to China for a summit of emerging nations starting Sunday, there is a sense of quiet satisfaction in New Delhi at the resolution of their most serious border confrontation in decades in a disputed Himalayan plateau.

Strategic road

For now it appears China has abandoned plans to build a contentious road on the high mountain junction lying between India, Bhutan and China that sparked the standoff between the two countries.

Indian officials maintain that China has withdrawn its bulldozers and road construction equipment.

Beijing has sidestepped the issue, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying saying it will take into consideration factors such as weather “to make relevant construction plans in accordance with the situation on the ground.”

It was in mid-June that Indian troops moved into the Doklam Plateau to obstruct China from building a road in the Himalayan junction disputed between Bhutan and Beijing. That led an infuriated China to accuse Indian troops of trespassing into territory to which it had no claim and demand their withdrawal.

India in turn said the status quo should be restored. It says that has happened as soldiers from both sides have pulled back.

China has announced that its troops will patrol the region, but New Delhi says that happened in the past also.

News Report: China’s “Hegemonic Ambitions” Not Compatible With BRICS’ Intent

A former Indian diplomat is of the view that with China’s growing hegemonic ambitions and seeking of parity with the US are no longer compatible with BRICS’ main aim to curb America’s post-Cold War unilateralism, which was conceptualized during the Russia-India-China dialogue and led to the formation of the economic grouping.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for bilateral talks on September 4 on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit being hosted by China from 3-5 September 2017.

“At the invitation of the President of the People’s Republic of China, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will visit Xiamen in China’s Fujian province… to attend the 9th BRICS Summit,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. “Subsequently, Prime Minister will pay a State visit to Myanmar from 5-7 September at the invitation of U. Htin Kyaw, President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar,” it added.

In June this year, the Indian Prime Minister had turned down Beijing’s request to participate in its multi-billion dollar Belt & Road Initiative. In the immediate aftermath, the Doklam standoff ensued, casting a shadow over Modi’s participation in the BRICS summit.

News Report: India, China Agree to Pull Back Troops From Disputed Border Area

India and China have reached an agreement to end the most serious confrontation in decades between the Asian giants along a disputed border in the eastern Himalayas.

A brief statement by India’s foreign ministry on Monday said the decision follows diplomatic communications between the two countries. “On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going,” the ministry said.

The foreign ministry in Beijing said Chinese soldiers will continue to patrol the area. According to Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, “China will continue to exercise sovereignty rights to protect territorial sovereignty in accordance with the rules of the historical boundary.”

The announcement comes days before Indian prime minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to China for the summit of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) nations scheduled to be held next week. The two sides were under pressure to find a solution before that visit.

The standoff over the strategic Doklam plateau in the eastern Himalayas had dragged on for two and a half months, much longer than previous border flare-ups that have erupted along their 3,500 kilometer border, parts of which are still disputed.

News Report: China Accuses India of Unleashing Chaos; Demands Troops Withdrawal From Doklam

Indian experts say Chinese foreign ministry statement is “unfortunate”, “particularly after India indicated that is ready to discuss every issue related to the Doklam standoff.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — China has said that India's engagement in Doklam defies all logic and it should unilaterally withdraw troops from the region before the two sides can talk.

"All hell will break loose, if China follows India's logic and enters the Indian territory to disrupt construction projects along the line of actual control (LaC) that Beijing perceives as a security threat," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.

"If we tolerate India's ridiculous logic, then anyone who dislikes the activity at his neighbor's home can break into his neighbor's house. Does that mean when China thinks that large-scale construction of infrastructure in the border area is posing a threat, it can enter India's territory? Wouldn't that be utter chaos?" The Hindustan Times quotes her as saying.

News Report: The Doklam Gambit: How China Lured India into a ‘Diplomatic Trap’

An analyst have suggested that the Chinese and Indian stand-off over the disputed Doklam Plateau may be a Chinese gambit to drive a wedge between India and its smaller ally Bhutan, who has a competing claim on Doklam with Beijing.

According to them, China's sudden move into Doklam to build a road in disputed territory with Bhutan was a clear provocation, but one that was not done needlessly. The border dispute may be between China and Bhutan, but it isn't Bhutanese troops facing off with the People's Liberation Army — it's Indian troops instead. Bhutan's tiny military, which has no Air Force and relies on the Indian Army for training, could not hope to stand up against the might of Beijing. Thus, New Delhi came to their ally's defense.

There's only one problem with India's narrative: their troops are outside of Indian soil. India has no claim to Doklam, which means they have either occupied Bhutan or invaded China, depending on how the dispute shakes out. Neither reflects well on New Delhi.

This has led to the theory that China purposefully provoked India in Doklam to drive a wedge between them and Bhutan. The Land of the Thunder Dragon was never part of the British Raj, but it was once an Indian protectorate and maintains close ties to them. In recent years it has become more eager to increase its independence and be seen as a fully-fledged nation.

News Report: India Expects China to Break Deadlock on Doklam

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to discuss the crisis with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit to be held in September in Xiamen, China.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — Weeks before BRICS summit in Xiamen, India has termed Doklam stand-off as a ‘deadlock' but at the same time has expressed confidence that it would be resolved soon.

"There will be a solution very soon and I am sure China will make a positive move," Rajnath Singh, India's Minister of Home Affairs said on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao has reported that Western Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has held a military drill to "strike awe in India". 

News Report: India Expedites Construction of Border Roads Amid Military Conflict With China

Indian Army had asked the defense ministry to expedite construction of roads along the border with China citing it as a crucial requirement for faster movement of troops and uninterrupted supplies of ammunition and other necessities.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — In an unprecedented move, the Indian government has decided to delegate more financial powers to the Border Road Organization (BRO) in order to expedite the construction of roads near the border with China. The BRO is an executive force mandated with the task of constructing and maintaining roads in border areas in keeping with defense requirements.

The move comes shortly after the Indian Army voiced strong concern against the inordinate delay in completion of strategic road projects along China border.

"Across the border, China has built roads which will give them quick access to border posts in case of any eventuality. We have neglected the infrastructure development in the north-eastern states bordering China, but in view of the continuing standoff with China we need to speed up the construction of border roads," Major General G D Bakshi (Rtd.) told Sputnik.

News Story: Chinese troops injured by Indian border troops' fierce action - foreign ministry

BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Some Chinese troops suffered injuries from Indian troops' fierce action in the western part of the border area, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed Monday.

This came after a video showing border troops from the two countries pushing and throwing stones at one another near Pangong Lake.

Last Tuesday, Indian border troops obstructed Chinese border troops, who were carrying out normal patrols on the Chinese side of the actual line of control in the Pangong lake area, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a daily briefing.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Report: Doklam Standoff - Japan Backs India’s Support of Bhutan

Lending a major shot in the arm for India’s position on Doklam, Japan has said that it recognizes there is a territorial dispute between China and Bhutan over the area but India’s involvement is justified as it is based on bilateral agreements with Bhutan.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — The Japanese Embassy has conveyed to New Delhi that the country is closely monitoring the Doklam standoff and is of the view that no country should make an attempt to unilaterally change status quo by force but to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner.

"We recognize Doklam is a disputed area between Bhutan and China and the two countries are engaged in border talks. We also understand that India has a treaty understanding with Bhutan, that's why Indian troops got involved in the area," Japanese Ambassador to India, Kenji Hiramatsu told the media.

Japan's backing of India is significant as it is the first time a major power has come out openly in support of India. The US has maintained equidistance by saying that both India and China should sit and talk on the issue, while taking measures to de-escalate troops build-up.

News Report: India-China Flag Meeting Inconclusive; Beijing Won't Acknowledge Latest Scuffle

As the protracted standoff at Doklam shows no respite, fresh clash among soldiers at other areas strongly signal an escalation of conflict between the two south Asian powers.

New Delhi (Sputnik) – Senior army officials of India & China held a crucial flag meeting on Wednesday to discuss the way out of the ongoing stand-off at Doklam. The alleged attempt by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to breach the de-factor border at Ladakh was also discussed during the meeting.

Indian defense ministry officials refused to divulge details of the meeting, but sources told Sputnik that the meeting at Chusul in Leh district of Jammu and Kashmir in India was inconclusive. There was a loose agreement for “strengthening of existing mechanisms to maintain peace and tranquility.”

News Story: China urges Japanese ambassador to India to be discreet on Doklam standoff

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday that the Japanese ambassador to India should not wag his tongue too freely on the standoff between China and India in the Dong Lang (Doklam) area.

Spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a routine press briefing that there is no territorial dispute in that area and that the nature of the incident is that Indian troops illegally crossed the already delimited Sikkim section of the China-India boundary into Chinese territory.

Read the full story at Xinhua

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Story Quote: "Hua said, stressing that it is India, not China, that is trying to create trouble and change the status quo."

PacificSentinel: China LYING again!

News Report: Indian, Chinese Troops Square Off in Disputed Himalayan Region

Indian security officials say their troops engaged in a stone-throwing clash with Chinese forces in a disputed area of the Himalayas Tuesday.

The incident occurred after Indian soldiers prevented their Chinese counterparts from entering the mountainous region of Ladakh in Indian-controlled Kashmir. The confrontation ended after both sides retreated to their respective positions.

China did not immediately comment on the incident.

Indian and Chinese forces are locked in a 2-month-old standoff in a disputed area between India’s close ally, Bhutan, and China. The tensions began when Indian troops were deployed to obstruct a Chinese road-building project at Doklam Plateau. The area also known as Chicken’s Neck is hugely strategic for India because it connects the country’s mainland to its northeastern region.

New Delhi cites its treaties with Bhutan, with which it has close military and economic ties, for keeping its soldiers in the area despite strident calls by Beijing to vacate the mountain region.

The standoff is believed to be the most serious confrontation between the two Asian giants, who fought a brief war in 1962.

This story first appeared on Voice of America & is reposted here with permission.