New Delhi: Amid the standoff between India and China at the border tri-junction with Bhutan, Congress on Monday said party vice-president Rahul Gandhi has met the ambassadors of the neighbouring countries.

The party downplayed the meeting and did not specify its venue or time.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala termed it a “courtesy call” and said envoys of G5 as well as neighbouring countries keep meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the vice-president from time to time.

“Be it the Chinese ambassador (Luo Zhaohui) or Bhutanese ambassador (Vetsop Namgyel) or former national security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon, Rahul Gandhi met all three of them. Nobody should try to sensationalise such normal courtesy calls to term them an event like the sources of the ministry of external affairs are attempting to do,” he said.

Surjewala said Rahul and other opposition leaders are “fully aware of our national interests” and are concerned about the “grave situation” on the Indo-Chinese border as well as “the situation arising in Bhutan as also in Sikkim”.

China and India have been engaged in the standoff in the Doklam area near the Bhutan tri-junction for the past three weeks after a Chinese Army’s construction party attempted to build a road. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. </s> New Delhi: Amid a bitter stand-off between India and China over the Dokalam region, the Congress party on Monday rejected reports of party vice president Rahul Gandhi's meeting with Chinese Amabassador to India Luo Zhaohui.

No such meeting took place, the Congress said.

CNN News18 had earlier reported that Rahul met Zhaohui to discuss Sino-India relations in the wake of stand-off between armies of two nations in Doklam area of Sikkim.

However, sources in Rahul Gandhi's office denied any meeting with Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui.

Sources in Rahul Gandhi's office deny any meeting with Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui — ANI (@ANI_news) July 10, 2017

The fresh matter came to fore at a time when China has increased pressure on India to withdraw its troops from the Dokalam region as a precondition for any talks to resolve border issues between the two sides.

The Indian Army,meanwhile, is said to be ready for a long haul in holding onto its position in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan tri-junction, notwithstanding China ratcheting up rhetoric against India demanding pulling back of its troops.

The Indian soldiers deployed in the disputed area have pitched in tents, in an indication that they are unlikely to retreat unless there was reciprocity from China's PLA personnel in ending the face-off at an altitude of around 10,000 feet in the Sikkim section.

A steady line of supplies is being maintained for the soldiers at the site, official sources said, signalling that Indian Army is not going to wilt under any pressure from China.

At the same time they sounded confident of finding a diplomatic solution to the dispute, citing resolution of border skirmishes in the past through diplomacy.

Though China has been aggressively asserting that it was not ready for any "compromise" and that the "ball is in India's court", the view in the security establishment here is that there cannot be any unilateral approach in defusing the tension.

Both the countries had agreed to a mechanism in 2012 to resolve border flare ups through consultations at various levels.

The mechanism has not worked so far in the current case as the standoff near the Bhutan trijunction, triggered by China's attempt to build a road in the strategically important area, has dragged on for over three weeks.

New Delhi has already conveyed to China that such an action would represent a significant change of status quo with "serious" security implications for India. The road link could give China a major military advantage over India.

Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

China and Bhutan are engaged in talks over the resolution of the dispute in the area. India argues that since it is a tri-junction involving the three countries, it also has a say in the issue, specially in the backdrop of 2012 agreement between special representatives of the two countries, that have till now held 19 rounds of talks.

Bhutan has no diplomatic ties with China. As a close friend and neighbour, Bhutan enjoys diplomatic and military support from India.

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim. </s> India China standoff: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has met Chinese Ambassador, according to TV reports. This comes days after Gandhi had criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking why the latter was silent on the recent Chinese aggression on the border. New Delhi and Beijing have been engaged in a standoff in the Doklam area near the Bhutan tri-junction for the past three weeks after a Chinese Army’s construction party attempted to build a road. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. The two neighbouring superpowers share 3,488-km-long border spreading from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. Of this a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.

On July 6, Chinese authorities ruled out one-ono-one meeting meeting between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg citing that atmosphere was not right for such talk. The “atmosphere is not right” for a bilateral meeting between President Xi and Prime Minister Modi, Chinese Foreign Ministry officials had said.

Earlier, there were reports that PM Modi and Xi may meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit to resolve the standoff. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang expressed hope that “India can immediately withdraw the border troops to the Indian side of the boundary to uphold the peace tranquillity of the China and India border areas”. “I think this is the pre-condition for any meaningful peace talks between the two sides,” he told a media briefing here when asked about the meeting between Modi and Xi on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

China’s state-run media had quoted Chinese analysts as saying that Beijing would be forced to use a “military way” to end the standoff in the Sikkim sector if India refuses to listen to the “historical lessons” being offered by it, as per PTI report. </s> New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s alleged meeting with a Chinese envoy in the midst of a standoff between the armies of the two nations has created a row. Even as the Congress vehemently denied that the meeting ever took place only to reverse the position hours later, the Chinese embassy first issued a short press release stating that the meeting did in fact take place on July 8, but then removed it.

The Congress emphatically, denied such a meeting ever took place. Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala took to Twitter and blamed the ‘bhakt’ channel for running ‘fake news’.

Before MEA & IB sources plant news with 'Bhakts', they should reverify that we still have diplomatic relations with all our neighbours.2/n — Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) July 10, 2017 However, only a few hours later, Surjewala did a flip flop on the issue as he claimed that "Envoys met Rahul Gandhi, not only Chinese envoy but also Bhutanese envoy and ex-NSA Shiv Shankar Menon." "Various ambassadors and envoys keep meeting Congress president and vice-president from time to time on courtesy basis," Surjewala told ANI. However, only a few hours later, Surjewala did a flip flop on the issue as he claimed that "Envoys met Rahul Gandhi, not only Chinese envoy but also Bhutanese envoy and ex-NSA Shiv Shankar Menon." "Various ambassadors and envoys keep meeting Congress president and vice-president from time to time on courtesy basis," Surjewala told ANI. A few reports emerged this morning stating that Gandhi met Zhaohui on July 8. They had exchanged views on the present bilateral relations between the neighbouring countries, a post on Chinese embassy website read, as per media reports. It has been learned that later the Chinese embassy had removed the post. A few days ago Gandhi had criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking why the latter was silent on the recent Chinese aggression on the border. New Delhi and Beijing have been engaged in a standoff in the Doklam area near the Bhutan tri-junction for the past three weeks after a Chinese Army’s construction party attempted to build a road. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. The two neighbouring superpowers share 3,488-km-long border spreading from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. Of this a 220-km section falls in Sikkim. </s> External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said that all the countries, including Bhutan, are with India on the issue of the Dokhlam stand-off.

Sushma’s response came after Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal’s questioned the Centre on the Doklam stand-off.

Sushma said the issue is due to the “tri-junction point that is between India, China and Bhutan” and that if Beijing unilaterally tries to change the status quo at the tri-junction, then it will pose a threat to New Delhi’s security.

“India wants that troops are removed from the tri-junction point to discuss the issue together. All countries, including Bhutan, are with us,” Sushma said in Rajya Sabha on the fourth day of the Parliament Monsoon Session.

Congress’ Chhattisgarh MP Chaya Sharma raked up the issue of presence of China on the South China Sea, to which Sushma countered saying there is no threat to India from Beijing, as she “cannot say China is encircling New Delhi in terms of sea presence.”

On the ‘One Belt One Road’ issue, the External Affairs Minister said that India had opposed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’s (CPEC) inclusion in the OBOR at the time it was proposed.

India and China have been witness to the stand=off for long over the tri-junction area of Doklam sector near Bhutan.

The stand-off emerged after the China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) construction party attempted to build a road near the Doklam area.

Bhutan recognises Doklam as its area while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. Doka La is the Indian name for the region. </s> Amid the standoff at Doklam plateau in Sikkim sector between Indian and Chinese troops, India on Friday told Bhutan to not get intimidated by Beijing’s angry rhetoric, even as Bhutan urged New Delhi to amicably resolve the border stand-off with China. The sources at a meeting of BIMSTEC nations told The Indian Express that these were the broad contours of the discussion between Indian and Bhutanese leaders and officials. Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal are members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also met her Bhutanese counterpart Damcho Dorji. This was the minister-level meeting between Bhutan and India ever since the genesis of the Doklam border stand-off in June. The sources also added that both India and Bhutan discussed the Doklam issue and exchanged notes on the “way forward”. Dorji said after the meeting: “We hope the situation in Doklam will be resolved peacefully and amicably.” He stayed away from giving specific details. Also Read: Don’t be intimidated by China: India to Bhutan

India behaving like mature power in Doklam standoff, says US expert

A top American defence expert has opined that India is “behaving like a mature power” in the Doklam standoff and making China look like an adolescent throwing a tamper tantrum. Professor of strategy at US Naval War College James R Holmes said: “New Delhi has done things right thus far, neither backing away from the dispute nor replying in kind to Beijing’s over-the-top rhetoric. It is behaving as the mature power and making China look like the adolescent throwing a temper tantrum.”

Army raises alert level in Arunachal Pradesh as Chinese officials meet US counterparts

As China continues to engage in belligerent rhetoric over the Doklam standoff, the Indian Army has cautiously put its units in Arunachal Pradesh on a higher alert, putting some troops in the state ahead of their usual locations but still short of the Chinese border.

Sources revealed to the The Indian Express that, as a precautionary measure, many units of the Dimpaur-headquartered 3 Corps and Tezpur-headquartered 4 Corps have been placed on “higher alert in a No War No Peace mode”.

The sources also emphasised that these measures are not related to to any major build-up of China’s military in Tibet. The Indian side has not observed any major movement of China’s military so far. The Indian Express had reported earlier that in the eastern sector, Army units in Sikkim have already been staged forward as they undertake their Operational Alert this month which has been advanced from October. Also Read: Cautiously, Army raises alert level in Arunachal Pradesh as Chinese officials meet US counterparts

China, India must work to resolve Doklam standoff, says US commander

A top American commander said today that the ongoing Doklam standoff between Indian and Chinese troops is a matter of concern, even as he asked both countries to work together and resolve the issue diplomatically. India and China have been locked in a face-off in the Doklam area for more than 50 days after Indian troops stopped the Chinese People’s Liberation Army from building a road in the area.

Commander of the US Pacific Command Admiral Harry B Harris echoed the State Department’s view that the US encourages the two countries to resolve their differences diplomatically. In a statement to PTI, Admiral Harris said “Well, I think that any time you have two great powers at odds across a common border, that’s an area of concern. Of course, it’s potentially dangerous.”

“But I think that I would echo those sentiments of our own government leaders, America’s national leadership, that we encourage both India and China to engage in diplomacy, to help reduce these tensions,” Admiral Harris added.

Chinese Navy eyes Indian Ocean as part of PLA’s plan to extend its reach amid Doklam standoff

Amid the ongoing Doklam standoff, Chinese Navy has reached out to India to maintain security China in Indian Ocean amid increasing concerns in New Delhi over the growing presence of the PLA fleet in India’s backyard. In a first, People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) threw open its strategic South Sea Fleet (SSF) base in the coastal city of Zhanjiang to a group of Indian journalists. “It is my opinion China and India can make joint contributions to the safety and security of the Indian Ocean,” Capt Liang Tianjun, Deputy Chief of General Office of China’s SSF said. His remarks came as China’s Navy embarked on a massive expansion to extend its global reach. Also Read: Chinese Navy eyes Indian Ocean as part of PLA’s plan to extend its reach

Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a stand-off in the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector for seven weeks now after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area. China claimed that they were constructing the road within their territory and has been demanding immediate pull-out of the Indian troops from the disputed Doklam plateau. New Delhi has expressed concern over the road building, apprehending that it may allow Chinese troops to cut India’s access to its northeastern states.

India has conveyed to the Chinese government that the road construction would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for it. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim. China also claims that Thimphu has no dispute with Beijing over Doklam.

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App </s> New Delhi: Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi defended his meeting with Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui last week amid the border stand-off, saying it was his job to be informed of critical issues.

In a series of tweets, Gandhi on Monday attacked the BJP-led government, saying if it was so concerned about his meeting with the Chinese envoy, why were three union ministers availing Chinese hospitality amid the border stand-off at Doklam in the Sikkim sector.

"It is my job to be informed on critical issues. I met the Chinese Ambassador, Ex-NSA, Congress leaders from NE & the Bhutanese Ambassador," Gandhi said. "If the government is so concerned about me meeting an ambassador, they should explain why three ministers are availing Chinese hospitality while the border issue is on," he added. Gandhi also referred to an IANS report of 2014 about Chinese troops entering India during the official visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping and took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had hosted the visiting leader in Ahmedabad. The two leaders had also sat on a swing. "And for the record I am not the guy sitting on the swing while a thousand Chinese troops had physically entered India," Gandhi said. </s> New Delhi: The flag meeting between Indian and Chinese Army officers on Friday over the ongoing Doklam standoff remained inconclusive.

The Army officers from both the sides extensively discussed the Doklam standoff meeting at Nathu La mountain pass in Sikkim.

Usually, flag meetings are held between Brigadier level officers, but Friday's meet was attended by Major General rank officers from both sides.

“In the Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) attended by Major General rank officers from both sides, India insisted that the face-off could be resolved through simultaneous withdrawal of troops by the Indian and Chinese sides,” sources said.

The two sides hold BPM in five points which include Daulat Beg Oldie in northern Ladakh, Kibithoo in Arunachal Pradesh, Chusul in Ladakh, Bum-La near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and Nathu-La in Sikkim.

The standoff close to the tri-junction of India-China-Bhutan started on June 16, after a construction party from China`s People`s Liberation Army entered the Doklam area and attempted to construct the road.

Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

India has said Beijing's action to "unilaterally determine tri-junction points" violated a 2012 India-China pact which says the boundary would be decided by consulting all the concerned parties.

The two countries share a little over 200 km of border in the Sikkim sector.

Amid the border stand-off with China, Defence Minister Arun Jaitely on Friday rejected reports about shortage of ammunition and asserted that the armed forces have enough quantity to face any eventuality. </s> As a controversy erupted over his meetin with the Chinese envoy, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi described the instance as his "job" and denounced Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS informal gathering few days back.

 

Rahul on Monday posted an apparently sardonic tweet, along with a picture of Prime Minister Modi on a swing with the Chinese President: "And for the record I am not the guy sitting on the swing while a thousand Chinese troops had physically entered India," while quoting an article bearing the headline 'Nearly 1,000 Chinese soldiers enter India.'

Further clarifying his meeting with the Chinese envoy, Rahul tweeted, "It is my job to be informed on critical issues. I met the Chinese Ambassador, Ex-NSA, Congress leaders from NE & the Bhutanese Ambassador. If Govt is so concerned abt me meeting an Amb,they shld explain why 3Ministers are availing Chinese hospitality while the border issue is on."

Earlier, six hours after an assertive denial of meeting between Rahul Gandhi and the Chinese envoy, the Congress did a major flip-flop and said that not only did the party vice-president meet the latter, but the Bhutanese envoy as well.

 

"Various ambassadors and envoys keep meeting the Congress president and the vice-president from time to time on a courtesy basis, particularly those of G5 nations and also of the neighbouring countries - be it the Chinese Ambassador, or the Bhutanese Ambassador or the former national security advisor Shiv Shankar Menon," Congress spokerperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told ANI.



 "Rahul Gandhi met all of them. So, nobody should try to sensationalise such normal courtesy calls or term them as events, like the sources from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) are trying to do. Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders are fully aware of or national interests and other concerns about the grave situation on the Indo-Chinese Border and Bhutan, including Sikkim," he added.



Surjewala also attacked Prime Minister Modi and said, "Despite having sour relations with the China, our Prime Minister met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Germany."

 

Following this, the Congress downplayed the furore and said that the meeting took place in the wake of his regular work schedule.

 

Asking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to not get antsy about the meet, Congress leader Manish Tewari, while addressing a press conference said that if we in India are boycotting China, then Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi also should not have made an effort to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.

 

"The Congress vice-president in the course of his regular work schedule meets with a broad spectrum of people including diplomats and in this particular instance, he did meet with the Chinese ambassador; he did meet with the Bhutanese Ambassador; he did meet with the former national security advisor Shiv Shankar Menon and for all these people who have been getting very antsy about it since morning I have some questions too. If so much of 'brouhaha' is being made about it, then why did the Prime Minister of India actually crossed lake Alster and go to the Grand Elysee hotel? To meet with the Chinese President Xi Jinping? Especially after the Chinese had made it known that a bilateral meeting because of the stand-off in Bhutan is not possible," said Tewari.

 

This comes amid a lengthy standoff between the Armies of the two countries on Line of Actual Control adjoining Sikkim on India's eastern border.

 

New Delhi has expressed its serious apprehensions over Beijing constructing a road in the Sikkim sector of the LAC.



 India claims Sikkim border as part of its territory, while China has said that the area falls on their side as per the 1890 treaty signed between British and China.



 Consequently, China suspended the annual Kailash Manasarovar yatra and conceded that the decision to suspend the pilgrimage was due to the border scuffle.

 

It also alleged that the Indian troops had crossed the Sikkim sector of the Indo-China border. Beijing has accused New Delhi of violating a convention signed in 1890 between Britain and China relating to Sikkim and Tibet.
Amid a stand-off between India and China over the disputed territory of Doklam which is claimed by Bhutan, the Indian National Congress denies the meeting of Rahul Gandhi with the Chinese ambassador to India.