Chi lodges protest, asks India to withdraw troops

Beijing, June 27: Chi on Tuesday said it has complained to India about Indian troops “trespassing” the Chinese boundary, hinting that pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar won’t resume until the soldiers were withdrawn. Indian and Chinese troops reportedly faced off along the border in Sikkim, the reason Beijing has attributed to stopping 47 Indian pilgrims from travelling to the sacred place in Tibet. “We have lodged solemn representation in Beijing and New Delhi to elaborate our solemn position,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said. “Our position to uphold our territorial sovereignty is unwavering and we hope that the Indian side can work with Chi in the same direction and take immediate actions to withdraw the personnel who have overstepped and trespassed into Chinese border,” Lu said.

According to Indian media reports, Chinese troops crossed into Indian boundary and destroyed two army bunkers — a charge denied by Beijing. In a previous statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said: “The Sino-Indian border of Sikkim has been delineated by the 1890 Sino-British Treaty on Tibetan Customs. After the independence of India, the Indian government has confirmed this in writing several times, acknowledging that there is no objection to the border between the two sides,” “The Chinese side asked the Indian side to respect the border treaty, respect the territorial sovereignty of Chi, (asked for) the immediate withdrawal of border officials and (to) thoroughly investigate the matter, to maintain the Sino-Indian border Sikkim section of peace and tranquility.” (IANS)