The external affairs ministry’s statement comes as a reaction to recent press reports which claim that the Chinese army continues to maintain a sizable presence in the Doklam area.
China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Doklam area near Bhutan. Credit: Reuters
New Delhi: The external affairs ministry on Friday said there are no new developments at the India-China military face-off site in Doklam and its vicinity since the August 28 disengagement.
“The status quo prevails in this area. Any suggestion to the contrary is incorrect,” the ministry said in a brief statement.
The ministry was reacting to recent press reports on Doklam. The Indian Express on Friday reported that although the presence of China’s soldiers had thinned in the area after the disengagement process began on August 28, there were around 1,000 Chinese troops still near the stand-off area.
Other reports also noted that China had maintained a sizable presence near the site of the Doklam standoff with India and even started widening an existing road which is at a distance of around 12 km from the area of conflict.
Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Doklam since June 16, 2017 after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese army. Bhutan and China have a dispute over Doklam.
Bhutan and India were in touch with each other during the course of the face-off that ended on August 28.