The People's Liberation Army has accused the Indian military of stopping the construction of a road in what it claims to be China's "sovereign territory" in the Sikkim.?
According to Chinese Defence Ministry, Indian border guards crossed into its territory from the state of Sikkim on India¡¯s northeastern border with Tibet
Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China¡¯s foreign ministry, said Indian guards ¡°obstructed normal activities¡± by Chinese forces on the border and called on India to withdraw immediately, according to a ministry statement said.
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"The China-India boundary in Sikkim has delineated by historical treaty. After the independence of India, the Indian government has repeatedly confirmed it in writing acknowledging that both sides have no objection to Sikkim border," the statement said.
He urged India to respect China¡¯s territorial integrity and the border treaties signed by the two countries and said China had already suspended official pilgrimages at the Nathu La Pass, which lies on the frontier between Sikkim state and Tibet.
Nathu La connects India to Hindu and Buddhist sites in the region and was the site of a fierce border clash between Chinese and Indian troops in 1967. China¡¯s Defence Ministry said in a separate statement India¡¯s military had obstructed work on a road, a move it described as seriously threatening peace on the border.
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Ties between China and India have long been frosty as a result of long-term territorial disputes, as well as Beijing¡¯s support of Pakistan, and Indian leaders declined to attend China¡¯s ¡°Belt and Road¡± summit aimed at boosting regional economic and political ties last month.
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The Indian government has since taken steps to cool tensions, rejecting an Australian request to take part in joint naval exercises with the United States and Japan last month to avoid agonising China. Modi is expected to visit China in September to attend a summit of the BRICS nations, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.