Negotiations helped end Doklam row, says China

A top Chinese Army official on Sunday said negotiations with the Indian Army paved the way for the resolution of the Doklam stand-off in the Sikkim Sector on the India-China border.

"This year, India military crossed the borderline into China's territory. Of course, it has safely been resolved now," China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) official Liu Fang said.

"My colleagues in the military and other ministries worked very closely and we also had negotiations many times with the Indian side," said Liu, the Staff Officer at the Office for International Military Cooperation of the PLA Central Military Commission (CMC).

China's position contributed a lot to the peaceful resolution of the conflict, she added. Liu was talking on the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

"We are doing everything to protect our national integrity and security," she added.

India and Chinese troops were locked in an over two-month standoff at Doklam. The crises, which erupted in June over Chinese moves to build a road in an area claimed by Bhutan, ended in August, with both sides deciding to "disengage" from the face-off point.

Liu was accompanied by other top Army officials who talked about making the world's largest standing military more powerful in the future.

Another PLA official Wang Rui said: "Increasing and strengthening the military capability is our priority. We are making all efforts towards the goal of fighting and winning the war...."

"The Chinese Army can win the war against all invading armies," he added.

--IANS

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