China said on Wednesday that it was weighing its options on issuing a travel alert for citizens visiting India depending on the security situation following the border standoff in the Sikkim section.
"The Chinese government attaches great importance to safety and lawful rights and interests of overseas Chinese citizens in accordance with the security condition of the relevant countries," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing. "We will decide whether or not to issue a travel alert," Geng said as he was responding to a question about write-ups in Chinese media cautioning Chinese investors in India.
On Tuesday, a leading official newspaper in Beijing warned Chinese companies operating in India to be be alert and take steps to avoid being hit by anti-China sentiment.
An article in the Global Times called on Chinese firms to reduce their investments in India in view of the tension.
Since the standoff on 6 June, when the People's Liberation Army destroyed bunkers of the India Army claiming the area belonged to China, Chinese media have carried several pieces blaming India for escalating border tension and "reminding" the Indian Army about the 1962 war.
India and China have been engaged in a standoff in the Doka La (known as Doklam in Bhutan and Donglang in China) area near the Bhutan trijunction for over a month. It has been the longest impasse between the Indian and Chinese armies since 1962, when the two countries fought a brief war. The standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries was triggered when the Indian Army blocked the construction of a road by China in the Doka La area.
The standoff came to notice when China denied Indian pilgrims entry for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim. At first, Beijing said it stopped the Yatra due to damage to roads in Tibet after rains and landslides. Later, China signalled the matter was related to the standoff between the two armies near Sikkim.
India has pushed in more troops in a "non-combative mode" to strengthen its position in the area.