Dokalam standoff: India ready for talks with China to end border tension, says Sushma

China insists the plateau - which it calls Donglang, Bhutan refers to as Doklam, and India calls Doko La - is an indisputable part of its territory. Photo: AFP

NEW DELHI: India said on Thursday it is ready for talks with China with both sides first pulling back their armies to end the tense standoff in the Sikkim sector, stressing the need for a "peaceful resolution" of border issues. Chinese and Indian soldiers have been locked in a face- off in Dokalam area in the southernmost part of Tibet in an area also claimed by Indian ally Bhutan for over a month after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area. China claimed it was constructing the road within its territory, and has been demanding immediate pull-out of the Indian troops. Responding to supplementaries during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said China intends to unilaterally change the status of the tri- junction with Bhutan, posing a challenge to Indias security. On the standoff at Dokalam, she referred to the written agreement between India, China and Bhutan in 2012 that the three nations will together decide on the boundaries at the tri-junction point. The Minister said China has been constructing roads earlier too, but now they have brought in bulldozers and excavators. "We are saying that the matter can be resolved through talks, but both sides have to first take back their armies," she said. The Minister also said India was not "unreasonable" on the Doklam border issue and that all nations were with it. Observing that China was demanding the withdrawal of the Indian troops from the tri-junction point, she said India has been saying that both countries would have to withdraw their armies before amicably resolving the dispute through talks. Swaraj said "their (Chinas) intention was to reach the tri-junction so that they can unilaterally end the status of the tri-junction. It was only then that India came into the picture. "If China unilaterally changes the tri-junction point, then Indias security is challenged," she said, adding that Bhutan has protested in writing to China on this issue. Swaraj said "all countries are supporting us and they understand that the stand taken by India on the issue is not wrong" as they realise that China is getting aggressive with Bhutan. "Indias position is not wrong on the tri-junction and all nations are with it. The law is with our country and all are realising this," she said. Separately, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay told reporters that India has been in "close contact" with the Bhutan government on the border issue. "Indias approach is to have a peaceful resolution of issues on border with China," he said underlining the understanding at the Astana meeting that differences between India and China should not be allowed to become disputes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in June in Kazakh capital Astana. "So, it is obvious that every responsible power, person and player in the world prefers peaceful resolution of matters," Baglay said. Asked whether India has briefed other countries on the issue, Baglay said it would not be appropriate for him to comment on diplomatic interactions on sensitive matters