India and China should engage in direct dialogue free of any &quot;coercive aspects&quot; to reduce the tension over a military standoff in Doklam, the Pentagon has said.

Chinese and Indian soldiers have been locked in a face-off in Doklam area in the southernmost part of Tibet in an area also claimed by Indian ally Bhutan for over a month after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area.

&quot;We encourage India and China to engage in direct dialogue aimed at reducing tensions and free of any coercive aspects,&quot; Gary Ross, a Defence Department spokesman told PTI.

Ross, however, refused to take sides on the issue.

&quot;We refer you to the governments of India and China for further information... We are not going to speculate on such matters,&quot; Ross said when asked if the Pentagon fears the tension may escalate between India and China.

The US State Department too has made similar statements over the past week.

In recent years, almost all neighbours of China have accused Beijing of coercive tactics to settle border disputes.

The standoff in Dokalam is seen as part of the same tactic to change the status quo in the area. India has taken a strong stand against the Chinese &quot;unilateral action&quot;.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is to head to Beijing for a meeting of BRICS&#39; NSAs next week. He is expected to discuss the issue with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.

Earlier this week, a top Pentagon Commander told US lawmakers that China was exploiting its economic leverage as a way to further its regional political objectives.

&quot;As China&#39;s military modernisation continues, the United States and its allies and partners will continue to be challenged to balance China&#39;s influence,&quot; General Paul Selva, USAF, said in written response to questions to the Senate Armed Services Committee for his reconfirmation as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Selva said deterring war is an exercise in influencing China&#39;s decision calculus, making diplomacy preferable to conflict and managing crises in such a manner that they do not unintentionally escalate.

&quot;To do this, the Joint Force will engage with the Chinese military within Congressionally mandated limits, build alliance capacity through close cooperation, and uphold international law through appropriate operations,&quot; he said.

The US has refused to take sides on the issue

India and China should engage in direct dialogue free of any "coercive aspects" to reduce the tension over a military standoff in Doklam, the Pentagon has said. Chinese and Indian soldiers have been locked in a face-off in Doklam area in the southernmost part of Tibet in an area also claimed by Indian ally Bhutan for over a month after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area. "We encourage India and China to engage in direct dialogue aimed at reducing tensions and free of any coercive aspects," Gary Ross, a Defence Department spokesman told PTI. Ross, however, refused to take sides on the issue. "We refer you to the governments of India and China for further information... We are not going to speculate on such matters," Ross said when asked if the Pentagon fears the tension may escalate between India and China. The US State Department too has made similar statements over the past week. In recent years, almost all neighbours of China have accused Beijing of coercive tactics to settle border disputes. The standoff in Dokalam is seen as part of the same tactic to change the status quo in the area. India has taken a strong stand against the Chinese "unilateral action". National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is to head to Beijing for a meeting of BRICS' NSAs next week. He is expected to discuss the issue with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi. Earlier this week, a top Pentagon Commander told US lawmakers that China was exploiting its economic leverage as a way to further its regional political objectives. "As China's military modernisation continues, the United States and its allies and partners will continue to be challenged to balance China's influence," General Paul Selva, USAF, said in written response to questions to the Senate Armed Services Committee for his reconfirmation as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Selva said deterring war is an exercise in influencing China's decision calculus, making diplomacy preferable to conflict and managing crises in such a manner that they do not unintentionally escalate. "To do this, the Joint Force will engage with the Chinese military within Congressionally mandated limits, build alliance capacity through close cooperation, and uphold international law through appropriate operations," he said.

US tells China, India to engage in 'direct dialogue' over stand-off in Doklam

Bhutan has protested to China constructing a road in the disputed territory of Doklam, even as the stand-off between Beijing and the Indian government continued on Thursday.

The Himalayan kingdom said the construction of a road inside Bhutanese territory was a &quot;direct violation of agreements and affects the process of demarcating the boundary between our two countries.&quot;

&nbsp;&quot;Bhutan hopes that the status quo in the Doklam area will be maintained as before June 16, 2017.&quot;

India&#39;s army chief, General Bipin Rawat, travelled to Sikkim on Thursday, just days after Beijing accused Indian border guards of crossing into its territory to stop the construction of the road.

China&#39;s military rejected Bhutan&#39;s allegation that soldiers of the People&#39;s Liberation Army (PLA) had violated its territory. A chinese defence ministry spokesman said the troops operated on &quot;Chinese territory&quot; and also asked India to &quot;correct&quot; its &quot;wrong doing&quot;.

&quot;I have to correct when you say Chinese personnel entered Bhutan&#39;s territory. Chinese troops operated on Chinese territory,&quot; a Chinese defence ministry spokesman told the press.&#39;

The People&#39;s Liberation Army spokesman also accused Indian troops of entering the Chinese side in Sikkim sector&#39;s Donglong (Doklam).

&quot;They tried to stop the normal activities. The Chinese carried out appropriate responses to these activities to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity,&quot; the spokesman said.

&quot;We have made it clear to the Indian side to correct their wrong doing and withdraw all personnel from Chinese territory,&quot; he said.

Bhutan yesterday said it had issued a demarche to China over the construction of a road towards its Army camp in Doklam&#39;s Zomplri area and asked Beijing to restore status quo by stopping the work 
immediately.

&quot;We have issued a demarche to China through its diplomatic mission here. Recently, the Chinese army (People&#39;s Liberation Army) started construction of a road towards Bhutanese Army camp at Zomphlri in Doklam area which is in violation of an agreement between the two countries,&quot; Ambassador of Bhutan to India Vetsop Namgyel had said in New Delhi.

The Donglong, a tri-junction area near the Chumbi Valley, is considered a disputed area between China and Bhutan. It is located at the strategically important narrow tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan.

The PLA is constructing a road from the strategically located Chumbi Valley to Dolam, close to the Sikkim border.

On Wednesday, China justified construction of the road in the Sikkim sector as &quot;legitimate&quot;, alleging that India had no right to interfere since the road was being built in Donglang, calling it an &quot;indisputable&quot; part of Chinese territory.&nbsp;

China claimed India was objecting to its efforts to build the road on behalf of Bhutan and that neither of the two countries had the right to interfere.

China also bulldozed an old bunker of the Indian Army located at the tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan in Sikkim after India refused to accede to its request, official sources said.

Top government sources told Zee Media that trouble between the two sides started on May 18-19 when a Chinese patrol came to the Doka La area and objected to the two bunkers built by the Indian Army there. When Indian troops stood their ground, the Chinese soldiers increased their troops from a dozen to 150-200.

Indian and Chinese army troops are sitting opposite each other separated by merely four to five meters in Doka La, the Zee News report added.

The Himalayan kingdom said the construction of a road inside Bhutanese territory was a 'direct violation of agreements'

Bhutan has protested to China constructing a road in the disputed territory of Doklam, even as the stand-off between Beijing and the Indian government continued on Thursday. The Himalayan kingdom said the construction of a road inside Bhutanese territory was a "direct violation of agreements and affects the process of demarcating the boundary between our two countries." "Bhutan hopes that the status quo in the Doklam area will be maintained as before June 16, 2017." India's army chief, General Bipin Rawat, travelled to Sikkim on Thursday, just days after Beijing accused Indian border guards of crossing into its territory to stop the construction of the road. China's military rejected Bhutan's allegation that soldiers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had violated its territory. A chinese defence ministry spokesman said the troops operated on "Chinese territory" and also asked India to "correct" its "wrong doing". "I have to correct when you say Chinese personnel entered Bhutan's territory. Chinese troops operated on Chinese territory," a Chinese defence ministry spokesman told the press.' The People's Liberation Army spokesman also accused Indian troops of entering the Chinese side in Sikkim sector's Donglong (Doklam). "They tried to stop the normal activities. The Chinese carried out appropriate responses to these activities to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity," the spokesman said. "We have made it clear to the Indian side to correct their wrong doing and withdraw all personnel from Chinese territory," he said. Bhutan yesterday said it had issued a demarche to China over the construction of a road towards its Army camp in Doklam's Zomplri area and asked Beijing to restore status quo by stopping the work immediately. "We have issued a demarche to China through its diplomatic mission here. Recently, the Chinese army (People's Liberation Army) started construction of a road towards Bhutanese Army camp at Zomphlri in Doklam area which is in violation of an agreement between the two countries," Ambassador of Bhutan to India Vetsop Namgyel had said in New Delhi. The Donglong, a tri-junction area near the Chumbi Valley, is considered a disputed area between China and Bhutan. It is located at the strategically important narrow tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan. The PLA is constructing a road from the strategically located Chumbi Valley to Dolam, close to the Sikkim border. On Wednesday, China justified construction of the road in the Sikkim sector as "legitimate", alleging that India had no right to interfere since the road was being built in Donglang, calling it an "indisputable" part of Chinese territory. China claimed India was objecting to its efforts to build the road on behalf of Bhutan and that neither of the two countries had the right to interfere. China also bulldozed an old bunker of the Indian Army located at the tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan in Sikkim after India refused to accede to its request, official sources said. Top government sources told Zee Media that trouble between the two sides started on May 18-19 when a Chinese patrol came to the Doka La area and objected to the two bunkers built by the Indian Army there. When Indian troops stood their ground, the Chinese soldiers increased their troops from a dozen to 150-200. Indian and Chinese army troops are sitting opposite each other separated by merely four to five meters in Doka La, the Zee News report added.

After India, Bhutan objects to China building road in 'Bhutanese territory' Doklam

india-china-sikkim

India China Sikkim, News on India China Sikkim, stories on India China Sikkim, articles on India China Sikkim, India China Sikkim stories at Wion, India China Sikkim news, India China Sikkim latest news

india china-sikkim

US tells China, India to engage in 'direct dialogue' over stand-off in Doklam

After India, Bhutan objects to China building road in 'Bhutanese territory' Doklam