<div align="justify">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.<br /><br />“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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />“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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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”.<br /><br /> “Any attempt, therefore, to unilaterally determine tri-junction points is in violation of this understanding,” it had added on June 30.</div>
<div align="justify">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.<br /><br />“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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />“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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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”.<br /><br /> “Any attempt, therefore, to unilaterally determine tri-junction points is in violation of this understanding,” it had added on June 30.</div>
