China demonstrates determination to solve Doklam by force to visiting Indian journalists

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(Photo courtesy: catchnews.com)
(Photo courtesy: catchnews.com)

(TibetanReview.net, Aug08, 2017) – China has invited a group of Indian journalists and sought to convince it on Aug 7 of its determination and capability to use force to drive India out of Doklam, a disputed territory between it and Bhutan and which has vital strategic implications for India. “What the Indian troops have done is an invasion of Chinese territory,” the Hindustantimes.com Aug 7 quoted Senior Col Li Li of the PLA as telling the visitors in Beijing.

“What the PLA will do depends on the actions of the Indian side. We will take appropriate action when it is necessary,” Li was further quoted as saying.

And he wanted the visiting journalists to report on what the Chinese soldiers were thinking about on the Doklam situation. “I am a soldier, I will try my best to protect territorial integrity. We have the resolve and determination,” he was quoted as telling the Indian journalists who were taken to visit a garrison on the outskirts of Beijing.

The report said the visit included a rare demonstration of combat skills of the PLA troops before the Indian media. These included sharpshooting skills with small arms, capture of “hostile forces” in close combat, counter-terrorism and laser simulation force-on-force training of reinforced infantry quads.

Li has sought to ‘clarify’, however, that, the demonstration had no particular reference to Doklam where China has said 48 Indian troops still stayed put along with a bulldozer.

“In addition, there are still a large number of Indian armed forces congregating on the boundary and on the Indian side of the boundary,” the report quoted the Chinese foreign ministry as having said earlier.

China earlier cancelled a July propaganda junket to Tibet for a group of Indian and Nepalese journalists citing the Doklam incident. This has been an annual event over the last several years. Foreign journalists are otherwise banned from visiting Tibet.

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