Chinese military made multiple attempts to negotiate with India to end stand-off, ministry says
China will boost patrols in disputed area and continue making road building plans ‘taking into consideration various factors’
China’s defence ministry said on Thursday it made multiple attempts to negotiate with India during their protracted stand-off in the Himalayas through military and border defence channels.
Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang also told reporters in Beijing that China would boost patrols in the disputed region and would continue to make road building plans “taking into consideration various factors”.
The two countries on Monday ended a face-off on the remote Doklam plateau that began in mid-June when China began building a road in the disputed area close to Bhutan.
“Not in a single moment have we forgotten our responsibility of safeguarding the motherland and upholding peace,” Ren said. “Not in a single moment have we relented in our targeted preparation for military struggle.”
Ren said that during the stand-off, the Chinese military had put emergency response measures into action, stepped up border patrols and made deployments to ensure combat readiness.