China ready to maintain peace with India along the border
Following Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's maiden visit to Nathu La post in Sikkim on the Sino-Indian border, China said it was ready to maintain peace with India jointly. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the Sino-Indian boundary's Sikkim sector was delimited by the historical UK-China treat of 1890 and Nathu La pass "has been the best witness" testifying to this fact. Read more!
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying's statement
Hua Chunying stated, "The Chinese side is willing to jointly uphold peace and tranquility in the border areas with the Indian side on the basis of observing historical treaties and the relevant agreements and accords between the two sides."
Sitharaman's interaction sent a goodwill signal: Chinese media
On 8 October, Sitharaman interacted with officials of Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police during her first visit to the Nathu La border post. She also had a brief conversation with Chinese soldiers, teaching them how to say "Namaste". Her interaction with People's Liberation Army troops seems to have impressed Chinese media which said it would "mend" the Sino-Indian ties after the Doklam standoff.
Sitharaman interacting with Chinese soldiers
Chinese media's reactions to Nirmala Sitharaman's visit
The state-run English news channel of China, CGTN, captioned Nirmala Sitharaman's video with "Indian defence minister greets Chinese border soldiers." South China Morning Post wrote that Sitharaman was building "bridges with Chinese troops," adding she experienced "an unexpected wave of goodwill." State-run Global Times wrote, "Indian Minister waves at PLA." Her interaction with Chinese troops also received a positive response from China's netizens.
Chinese Association for South Asian Studies expert's statement
The expert, Qian Feng, said, "The greeting sent a goodwill signal towards mending bilateral ties and putting relations back on track toward normality." However, Qian added India should show more determination to improve ties and PM Narendra Modi "enjoys advantages towards achieving that goal."
India must overcome security paranoia, says state-run tabloid
China's state-run Global Times tabloid, known for frequently attacking India, however, wrote: "India must overcome security paranoia." It said Nirmala Sitharaman visited a newly-constructed airport that will start operating in November. It described this as an "aggressive gesture" as it was the nearest Indian airport to the Chinese border. Meanwhile, the tabloid also noted that the minister had "friendly interactions" with PLA troops.
Indian nationalists overestimate country's strength, rights: Global Times tabloid
The tabloid wrote, "Some Indian nationalists over-estimate India's strength and rights, assuming New Delhi can bark orders across the border at Beijing." It also added, "India's concerns about the Siliguri Corridor's security are understandable, but New Delhi cannot mess around."
Meanwhile, what's happening at Doklam?
China has meanwhile started upgrading and widening an existing motorable road located around 10km from the standoff site at Doklam. It continues to maintain a troop presence close to the site. Sources claim China is slowly deploying more troops in Doklam which could escalate the current situation. So far, India hasn't objected to China's latest road construction.
