India must withdraw troops from Doklam to end stand-off in Sikkim: Xinhua

Dismissing as "untenable" India's assertion that Beijing's construction of road in the disputed Doklam area poses "serious security implications", China's official news agency on Sunday asked New Delhi not to deviate consensus on developing bilateral relations.

Asking India to withdraw its troops from the area to end the current standoff, Xinhua news agency in a commentary said, "It is well known that the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been demarcated by the 1890 Sino-British treaty".

"After India's independence, the Indian government has repeatedly confirmed it in writing, acknowledging that the two sides have no objection to the border between the two sides of the Sikkim section," it said.

The Indian border troops' attempt to stop the Chinese military from constructing the road in the Doklam area has "cast a shadow over China-India relations", the commentary titled 'Don't deviate from the consensus on developing China- India relations' said, reiterating China's official stand on the issue.

While China has cited the Sino-British Treaty to buttress its claims, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi in a statement yesterday said that "where the boundary in the Sikkim sector is concerned, India and China had reached an understanding also in 2012 reconfirming their mutual agreement on the 'basis of the alignment'".

"Further discussions regarding finalisation of the boundary have been taking place under the Special Representatives framework," it had said. But, Xinhua said there were a lot of evidence, including images, that the Indian military has violated the historic treaty and the commitment of successive Indian governments.

It also referred to the Chinese Foreign Ministry's release of two photographs and a map on the issue. The map shows Doklam, a disputed territory between China and Bhutan, as part of Chinese territory.