All countries with us: Sushma on China border row

'Beijing trying to change status quo on Doklam'

Beijing’s move to build a road to change the status quo in the China-India-Bhutan boundary tri-junction posed a security threat to India, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told Parliament on Thursday.

With the Sino-India military face-off in Doklam Plateau hitting the 33rd day, Sushma told the Rajya Sabha that the international community had taken note of China’s aggressive stand against Bhutan.

“All the nations are with us because they all have seen how aggressive it (China) has been on a tiny country like Bhutan. The ambassador of Bhutan (in New Delhi) lodged a written protest (with China against the construction of the road in Doklam Plateau),” Sushma said in a reply to questions from the MPs.

“All the nations realised that India had taken the right stand and had not pursued an unreasonable approach (on the face-off with China). Truth is with us,” she said. This was the first time that the external affairs minister has spoken on the issue in Parliament.

The face-off started on June 18 when the Indian Army went to Doklam Plateau to stop the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from constructing a motorable road in the disputed areas along the China-Bhutan border.

Bhutan and China have been holding bilateral negotiations to settle the boundary disputes. Special representatives of Beijing and New Delhi have also been holding talks to resolve the dispute over the Sino-India boundary.

India and China, however, in 2012 had reached an agreement that the tri-junction boundary points among India, China and a third country would be finalised in consultation with the third country concerned.

Responding to a series of queries during the Question Hour in the Upper House, Sushma said China had gone against the 2012 agreement.

Explaining the reason for the Indian Army’s intervention, she said the road the PLA wanted to build would pose a very serious security threat to India. Sushma said New Delhi suggested that India and China withdraw troops from Doklam Plateau before initiating talks on the issue.
“What we are asking for is not at all unreasonable,” she said.

“India remains very alert about its security and that is why nobody can corner it,” the minister said, when asked if China was aiming to encircle India with strategic assets in and around the Indian Ocean.