UpdateChina ramps up the pressure on India ahead of possible meeting of foreign ministers
Top diplomats from both sides scheduled to attend Southeast Asian trade bloc forum in Philippines
China seems intent on ratcheting up the tension with India ahead of a possible meeting between its top diplomats in the Philippines this weekend.
In what appears to have been a series of coordinated moves over the past couple of days, China’s foreign and defence ministry, as well as several state media outlets, released statements and reports calling for the withdrawal of Indian troops from a disputed border area in the Himalayas.
On Thursday, China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed footage of a military exercise using live ammunition held “recently” on the Tibetan plateau. The report did not make any specific references to the stand-off with India, but said it involved firing on long-range targets at night, and that the unit involved had been in training for three months.
In a more direct move, China’s defence ministry late on Thursday released a statement saying that the country’s “restraint is not without limit”, and reiterated earlier comments that India should not underestimate the resolve of China’s military to protect its territory.
“The Indian side should give up the illusion of its delaying tactics as no country should underestimate Chinese forces’ confidence and capability to safeguard peace, and their resolve and willpower to defend national sovereignty, security and development interests,” defence ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang was quoted as saying.