China on Monday asserted that Doklam belongs to it and India should have “learnt lessons” from the standoff last year, days after India’s envoy blamed China for the face-off saying it happened because Beijing tried to alter the “status quo” in the disputed area.

Reacting to Indian Ambassador to China Gautam Bambawale’s remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, “Donglong (Doklam) belongs to China because we have historical conventions.”

“China’s activities there are within our sovereign rights. There is no such thing as changing status quo,” she said at a media briefing here.

“Last year, thanks to our concerted efforts and our wisdom, we properly resolved this issue. We hope the Indian side could learn some lessons from this and stick to the historical conventions and work with China to ensure the atmosphere in the border areas is conducive for the development of bilateral ties,” she added.

The India’s envoy in an interview to Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post had blamed China for the standoff in Doklam saying it happened because Beijing tried to alter the “status quo” which it should not have.

The tension began in June last year when Indian troops entered the Doklam plateau — in the hilly tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan — to stop the Chinese military from building a new road, which New Delhi viewed as a serious security concern because of the access it provides to Beijing. Chinese military positions in Doklam would have been in a position to strike targets in the “Chicken’s Neck” — a strip of land in West Bengal’s Siliguri, which connects India with the States in the North-East.

Doklam is only one of the friction points between India and China. Under President Xi Jinping, whose term limit has been scrapped so that he could rule indefinitely, China has been working to expand its influence in the region. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC is seen as another pain point between the two neighbours.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, Tuesday, 27 March 2018 | PTI | beijing