India trampled on Panchsheel pact, says China

Beijing: Upping the ante on the Sikkim standoff, China on Wednesday accused India of “trampling” on the Panchsheel principles and asked New Delhi to “correct its mistakes” as soon as possible by pulling back troops.

China also claimed that India was “misleading the public” by saying that Chinese troops were building a road close to the Chicken’s Neck in the Sikkim sector which could endanger India's access to its north-eastern states.

“I want to point out that the relevant actions by the Indian side violated the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in defiance of the international law and norms. In 1950s, China, India and Myanmar proposed the five principles (Panchsheel) of co-existence,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Gen Shuang said. “However to the surprise of everyone, India trampled on basic norms governing the international relations proposed by itself by illegally crossing into other country’s territory.”

Mr Geng said the case of Indian troops crossing the delineated boundary into the Chinese side was “very serious”. China had already lodged a protest with India, Mr Geng said.

The situation was yet to be resolved and “India should pull back the troops and that is the precondition to avoid worsening the situation,” he said.

The Chinese official media on Wednesday stepped up its attack on India with editorials asking Indian troops to move out of Doklam area in Sikkim sector “with dignity or be kicked out” and describing the situation as “worryingly tense”.

Read: India can choose to return with dignity or get kicked out: Chinese daily

While China’s nationalistic tabloid Global Times said India should be taught a “bitter lesson”, another official newspaper, China Daily, said India should look in the mirror.   

The Global Times said in its editorial that India will suffer “greater losses” than in 1962 if it “incites” border clashes with China. As the standoff in the Doklam area continued for the third week, it said India should be taught a “bitter lesson”.

It also claimed that the Chinese public was infuriated by India’s “provocation”.

“We believe the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is powerful enough to expel Indian troops out of Chinese territory. The Indian military can choose to return to its territory with dignity, or be kicked out of the area by Chinese soldiers,” it said.

“We need to give diplomatic and military authorities full power to handle the issue. We call on Chinese society to maintain high-level unity on the issue. The more unified the Chinese people are, the more sufficient conditions the professionals will have to fight against India and safeguard our interests. This time, we must teach New Delhi a bitter lesson,” it said.

The editorial said it “firmly” believed that the face-off in what it called the Donglang area would end with the Indian troops in “retreat”.