Sikkim standoff: Withdrawal of Indian troops from Doka La is precondition for 'meaningful dialogue', says China

Beijing: China on Thursday reiterated that it won’t talk to India until New Delhi withdraws troops from Doka La where both armies have been locked in a stand-off for more than a month. China has repeatedly said the withdrawal of troops from Doka La was the precondition for any “meaningful dialogue” with India over the festering border row in the Sikkim section of the border. [caption id=“attachment_3796353” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Getty Images[/caption] “Our diplomatic channel is unimpeded and the withdrawal of the Indian border troops is the precondition for any meaningful dialogue and the communication between the two sides,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a press conference. “The incident that happened in Sikkim section is quite clear that the Indian border troops illegally trespassed into Chinese territory,” Lu added. The borders of India, Bhutan and China meet at Doka La, which holds strategic importance to all three. China calls Doka La its own but India and Bhutan call it Bhutanese territory. India, a close ally of Bhutan, stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in Doka La in June, leading to the face-off between New Delhi and Beijing. Now both armies are eyeball-to-eyeball at Doka La. India says it wants to resolve the issue diplomatically.