MEA denies reports of fresh tension at India-China border in Doka La, says 'status quo prevails'

The external affairs ministry said on Friday that there are no new developments at the India-China military face-off site in Doka La and its vicinity since the 28 August disengagement. “The status quo prevails in this area. Any suggestion to the contrary is incorrect,” the ministry said in a brief statement. “There can be build-up anywhere else, away from the site, but that does not change the status quo. What was agreed by both sides, when they decided to disengage, has not been violated so far,” The Indian Express also quoted a source as saying. [caption id=“attachment_4118173” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The ministry was reacting to recent press reports on Doka La. The reports said that China has maintained a sizeable presence of its troops near the site of the Doka La standoff with India and even started widening an existing road which is at a distance of around 12 km from the area of conflict. Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Doka La since 16 June after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army. Bhutan and China have a dispute over Doka La. Bhutan and India were in touch with each other during the course of the face-off that ended on 28 August. On Friday, China had defended the presence of its troops in the Doka La area. “The Donglang (Doka La) area has always belonged to China and has been under the effective jurisdiction of China,” the Chinese foreign ministry had told _PTI_ . “There is no dispute. The Chinese border forces have been patrolling in the area of Donglang, exercising their sovereign rights and safeguarding territorial sovereignty according to the historical boundary,” the ministry had said in a written response. It is also crucial to note that while India and China had decided to withdraw troops from the disputed region, there was no communication about the road which China was widening or even about stationing of PLA troops in the region in the future. Thus, troop deployment by China does not necessarily indicate the beginning of another standoff. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will also visit Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday and Sunday to review the situation along India’s border with China. “The defence minister is scheduled to visit to border states of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, where she will take stock on the prevailing security situation, especially after the Dokalam face-off. During the visit, she will be briefed by top commanders of the Eastern command on the defence preparedness (sic),” The New Indian Express had quoted an official as saying. India Today had also reported that the army is likely to brief Sitharaman about its preparations to prevent China’s attempts at incursions into areas where the boundary is not demarcated and both countries have different claim lines. With inputs from PTI