Doklam has always been under China's jurisdiction: Minister

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday that there has been no territorial dispute in the Doklam area.

"It is right to say that territorial disputes should be resolved peacefully, but I must point out that such a saying is not applied to the situation in Doklam because there has been no territorial dispute at all at the site where the incident takes place," Xinhua news agency quoted Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang as saying.

Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a dragging stand-off in Doklam, which is at a tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China. China calls Doklam its own territory but India and Bhutan say it is Bhutan's.

India stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in Doklam in June, leading to the face-off between New Delhi and Beijing.

"The Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been demarcated, which is recognised by both China and India," said Lu.

"The trespass of India border troops took place at the defined Sikkim section of the China-India boundary. It is different in nature from previous frictions and stand-offs between the two sides."

"China is willing to maintain peace and stability of the China-India boundary, but China will not make compromises regarding sovereignty," Lu added.

He said "the Indian side is fully to blame for the incident", urging it to avoid any escalation of the situation.

India has blamed China for trying to change the status of the tri-junction and wants the issue to be resolved diplomatically.

--IANS

soni/vt