Defense Ministry warns India to withdraw troops

India should not take any chances and should abandon illusions it may harbor about the Chinese military's ability and determination to defend its territory, the Defense Ministry said in the latest response to Indian troops trespassing in Doklam in Chinese territory.

The 90-year history of the Chinese People's Liberation Army demonstrates the Army's growing ability and its adamant determination, to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian told a news conference on Monday in Beijing.

"It is easier to shake the mountains than to shake the PLA", he said.

He asked India to immediately withdraw its troops to the Indian side of the border, saying it is a precondition and basis for resolving the incident.

"We strongly urge India to take effective measures to correct its wrongdoing, stop provocation and work with China to jointly safeguard peace in the border regions," he said.

China, which will defend its territory, sovereignty and security interests "at all costs", has implemented emergency response measures in the region and will further enhance targeted deployment and training, Wu said.

In another development, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will be in Beijing to attend the seventh meeting of high-ranking security representatives of the BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - which will be held on Thursday and Friday.

In a signed article published in the South China Morning Post, Sourabh Gupta, a senior fellow at the Institute for China-America Studies in Washington, said the alignment of the China-India boundary in the Sikkim section is defined by Article 1 of the Convention Between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet in 1890.

"On numerous occasions, Indian representatives from Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru down have formally accepted this," Gupta said of India's first prime minister. Gupta said that this time, India has violated China's territorial sovereignty, and "must vacate its trespass unconditionally" as a precondition for dialogue.

Foreign Ministry spokesman - Lu Kang said on Monday that China will never compromise on issues concerning its territory.

Lu was commenting on Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop's remarks that the standoff between China and India in Doklam "is a long-term dispute" and that "territorial disputes should be resolved peacefully".

Bishop's words don't apply to Doklam's situation "because where the incident happened there is no territorial dispute at all", Lu said. "The Sikkim section of the China-India border is a defined section that has been mutually acknowledged and observed for 127 years. Both sides have never had a dispute about this.

"China hopes to maintain peace and stability of the China-India border regions, but will never make any concessions over issues of territory and sovereignty. India is totally responsible for this incident."

Indian troops illegally crossed into the Sikkim section of the border between the two countries into Doklam in June in an attempt to stop China's road construction there, which drew China's protests.

Lan Jianxue, a researcher in South Asian studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said the Defense Ministry and the Foreign Ministry sent warnings to India in their Monday news conferences.

Lan said China cannot make compromises on its own territory, and India's wrongdoing will only "exhaust" China's strategic patience.

He said India must realize it has done wrong by crossing a defined boundary and withdraw its troops in order to ease the situation.

Contact the writers at wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn