Peace at border prerequisite for bilateral relations: India

India on Wednesday said that peace and tranquility along its border with China were prerequisite for the development of bilateral relations between the two neighbours.

“India considers that peace and tranquillity along the India-China border areas are important prerequisites for the smooth development of our bilateral relations with China,” Raveesh Kumar, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, told journalists here.

He was replying to a question on New Delhi’s view on a document released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese government on the India-China military face-off in Doklam Plateau in western Bhutan.

“India’s position on this issue (the face-off) and related facts have been articulated in our press statement of June 30, 2017,” Kumar said.

The face-off started on June 18 when Indian Army soldiers went to Doklam Plateau to stop the Chinese People’s Liberation Army from constructing a road in the disputed territory along the China-Bhutan border. The PLA had started constructing the road on June 16,  brushing off protests by the Royal Bhutanese Army.

China’s recent move to build a road at Doklam Plateau would have “serious security implications” for India, New Delhi had said on June 30.

New Delhi had claimed that Beijing’s move to build the road and thus unilaterally change the status quo at the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction in the area was in violation of a 2012 bilateral understanding.

New Delhi had underlined that India and China had in 2012 reached an agreement that the tri-junction boundary points between the two nations and “third countries” would be finalised “in consultation with the countries concerned”.

 “Any attempt, therefore, to unilaterally determine tri-junction points is in violation of this understanding,” it had added on June 30.