Beijing: China on Tuesday remained non-committal on the issue of stopping road construction in Dokalam, a day after Indian and Chinese troops ended the 73-day standoff that was triggered by China's move to build a road in the border area.
"In order to meet the needs of defending the borders, improving the living conditions, China has long engaged in infrastructure development including the road construction," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.
India and China on Monday ended their standoff in Doklam by withdrawing their troops from the area, just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China to attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit.
When asked if China will continue with building the road in the area, Hua said, "we will take into consideration all relevant factors, including the weather, to make relevant construction plan in accordance with the situation on the ground." Hua reiterated that Chinese border troops "will continue to station and patrol the Doklam area. We will continue to exercise our sovereignty with historic conventions."