New Delhi: As the India-China military standoff on the Doklam plateau in Bhutan enters its third month, China’s official Xinhua news agency has released a video that mocks and parodies Indians in what is the latest attack against India by the Chinese state media.

The video, which is in English and is a little more than three minutes long, is titled the “7 Sins of India: It’s time for India to confess its seven sins”.

It features a Chinese woman anchor who explains the Doklam standoff from the Chinese perspective and a man with a turban and a fake beard—an apparent attempt at parodying an Indian Sikh and mimicking the way Indians are perceived to speak English.

According to the clip, India’s seven “biblical” sins are: trespassing, violating a bilateral convention, trampling international law, confusing right and wrong, putting the blame on the victim, hijacking a small neighbour and sticking to a mistake knowingly.

“China has realised it is impossible to awaken a guy who is pretending to be asleep,” the Chinese anchor hosting the video says.

This is followed by the first appearance of the “Indian turbaned Sikh” who says, “Nobody is blaming me because I am asleep”—an allusion perhaps to the Chinese perception that in reality, India is being blamed for the standoff but refuses to acknowledge it.

Also read: The logic of India’s response to China

India’s position that it is the Chinese side which trespassed into Bhutan is mocked by the anchor, who accuses India of entering “undisputed Chinese territory” with bulldozers.

The anchor then questions the alleged move by Indian troops of driving bulldozers into a neighbour’s (China’s) “house” without knocking. “What kind of neighbour would that be?” she asks. “Didn’t your mama tell you, never break the law?” she adds.

The Indian government’s contention that the Chinese entering Bhutanese territory with earthmoving equipment for the construction on a road close to India’s sensitive northeast had security implications for India is also ridiculed. “He is building a path in his garden. I am in danger,” says the “Indian” in the video shaking in apparent fear—in what seems to be Xinhua’s way of dismissing India’s concerns.

On India’s contention that it is protecting Bhutan’s territory, the Xinhua video features the “Indian Sikh” in the same frame as an alleged “Bhutanese” national.

“Don’t move, this is Bhutan’s home. I am here protecting it,” the “Indian” says, while the “Bhutanese” looks perplexed and shakes his head in denial when the anchor asks whether the territory India is stating to be Bhutanese is his home. “No not my home,” says the “Bhutanese” as the “Indian” is shown brandishing a pair of scissors, possibly as a threat to the “Bhutanese”.

When the anchor asks whether Bhutan had sought India’s help to protect Doklam, the “Bhutanese” national does not answer but looks decidedly wary as the “Indian” points the scissors at him in a seemingly threatening gesture. The implication is clear—that the “Bhutanese” national is keeping quiet under pressure from the “Indian”.

The military standoff at Doklam began on 16 June after Indian troops acted in coordination with Bhutanese authorities to block the construction of a road by Chinese authorities.

In the two months since then, Chinese state-controlled media has put out countless articles criticizing and dismissing India’s arguments. Many of them have also sought to remind India of the brief but bitter 1962 war between India and China that went badly for India. </s> China’s official news agency, Xinhua, released a racist video accusing India of committing “seven sins” during the two-month-long Doklam standoff near Sikkim on Wednesday. A man in a fake beard and a turban poses as an Indian as the host Dier Wang chides India for its many sins in the three-minute video.

The video accused India of trespassing into Chinese territory, violating conventions, not knowing what is right and what is wrong and hijacking Bhutan, all to a recorded soundtrack of laughter.

India and China are currently locked in a diplomatic standoff. Both nations have maintained that troops from the other country had transgressed into their territory in the Sikkim sector’s Doklam area.

Bilateral ties have been strained since the Indian Army stopped China from constructing a road in the region. New Delhi has made it clear that it will not allow China to construct a motorable road up to the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction through the Doklam plateau. </s> Keeping up with its rhetoric against India with regard to the standoff in Sikkim, China's Xinhua news agency has released a video on Twitter mocking India for its position on the border standoff. The video also has undertones of racism in the way it depicts an Indian.

Chinese media organisations have been consistently accusing the Narendra Modi government and its military of intruding into Chinese territory. Now, it has taken its political rhetoric a step further by mocking India in a video posted on Twitter.

Xinhua News Agency, the Chinese government's most important news agency controlled by the country's Cabinet, has released a three-and-a-half-minute video to explain the "seven sins" of India committed while "illegally trespassing" into Doklam. The video comes a day after troops of both the countries were involved in a brief altercation in Ladakh.

The video shows a woman explaining the "seven sins" committed by India in English while cutting in between to a turban-wearing character representing India. Besides wearing a turban, the character is also seen sporting a false beard and attempting to speak English in the way Indians are perceived to speak the language.

So, what are the "seven sins" of India?

According to Xinhua, the seven sins committed by India include trespassing, violating a bilateral convention, "trampling" international law, confusing right and wrong, putting the blame on the victim, hijacking a small neighbour and sticking to a mistake "KNOWINGLY".

In the video, the host says: "When the whole world is trying to wake India up from its impulse, China's realised it's impossible to awaken a guy who's pretending to be asleep." The video then cuts to the "Indian", who, in an unconvincing Indian accent, says: "Nobody's blaming me becasue I'm asleep."

Notice how the simple word "because" has been misspelt in the subtitles in this section of the video? Well, maybe it's just a mistake on the part of the editing staff.

The host goes on to say that Indian troops intruded into "UNDISPUTED" Chinese territory "carrying weapons and driving bulldozers... straight into your house without even knocking at the door." "What kind of neighbour would that be?" she asks.

In another sequence, she talks about how Doklam belongs to China under the 1890 Convention between Great Britain and China. The host, then, mocks India saying: "Didn't your mama tell you, never break the law?"

Under the "sins" of confusing right and wrong and putting the blame on the victim, the host rubbishes the security concerns put forward by India saying that there was no danger and that the concerns raised by the country are just an excuse.

"He is building a path in his garden. I am in danger," the "Indian" in the video says in a weird Indian accent.

In the sequence that talks about India hijacking a small neighbour, the "Indian" is seen talking to a rather confused "Bhutanese" national.

"Don't move, this is Bhutan's home. I am here protecting it," the "Indian" says while the "Bhutanese" national is made to look confused and perplexed as he denies the statement seemingly under the threat of a pair of scissors that the turban-wearing character is seen pointing at him.

The video claims that "Bhutanese authorities have clearly told Chinese officials that Doklam is not Bhutan's territory" and that Bhutan is itself "confused by India's behaviour." It also reiterates China's demand that India withdraws its troops for peace talks to take place.

The standoff at Doklam, which is under Beijing's control but is claimed by Thimphu, began on June 16 after Indian troops acted in coordination with Bhutanese authorities to block the construction of a road by Chinese forces.

At the end of the video, the host reveals why China would not negotiate with "thick-skinned" India. "Have you ever negotiated with a robber who had just broken into your house and refused to leave? You call 911 or just fight him back right?" the woman says.

The video then cuts to the "Indian" who asks in a mocking manner: "Why call 911? Don't you wanna play house bro?" In an indication to India to withdraw its troops from Doklam, the host concludes saying: "If you really wanna play, get out of my house first."

India and China have been locked in a border standoff in Sikkim for about two months now. It began on June 16 after China accused Indian troops of entering Doklam and stopping Chinese troops from constructing a road in the area. However, India responded by saying the border dispute is yet to be resolved and that China should "desist from changing the status quo".

India also accused China of building roads on the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction and its People's Liberation Army (PLA) of intruding into Indian territory through Sikkim and destroying bunkers, while China has claimed India is provoking them and the issue can be resolved only if India withdraws its troops.

India fears that the road-building activity would allow Chinese troops to cut its access to the seven states in the Northeast. </s> Image copyright Xinhua Image caption The video features a Chinese actor in costume mimicking an Indian accent

Chinese state media have released a propaganda video that lambasts India over a border dispute, sparking accusations of racism.

The English-language clip, accusing India of committing "sins", features a Chinese actor in a Sikh turban, speaking in a mock Indian accent.

Xinhua published the clip on Wednesday from a chat show discussing a border stand-off between the two countries.

It has been met with both bewilderment and anger in India, and amongst Sikhs.

What happens in the clip?

Titled "7 Sins of India", the video stars female presenter, Dier Wang, who lists out China's grievances against India in the ongoing border dispute in the Doklam area, which borders China, India and Bhutan.

It is the latest episode of an online series called The Spark, an English-language online chat show recently launched by Xinhua.

Speaking in an amused yet indignant tone, she accuses India of "trampling international law" and "inventing various excuses to whitewash its illegal moves".

Image copyright Xinhua Image caption Ms Wang uses casual language in the clip

Her monologue is interspersed with dialogue from an "Indian", depicted by a Chinese actor wearing a turban, sunglasses, and an obviously ill-fitting beard.

In what appear to be attempts at humour, he waggles his head and speaks English in an exaggerated Indian accent, amid canned laughter.

In another scene he points a pair of scissors at another actor who is supposed to represent Bhutan - a clear reference to the Chinese view that India is "bullying" the tiny Himalayan nation.

Image copyright Xinhua Image caption The actor representing Bhutan was not in costume

The video appears to be solely targeted at a foreign audience. It is delivered entirely in English and appears on Xinhua's YouTube, Twitter and Facebook feeds - services which are banned in China.

Chinese reports say the online chat show aims to "comment on hot domestic and international topics from China's perspective and with an international vision".

Previous episodes have also focused on the stand-off and Sino-Indian relations, as well as relations with the US and President Donald Trump, but were more sober than this one.

What has been the reaction?

Indian news outlets have rounded on the video, slamming it as racist.

The Hindustan Times said Xinhua released "a racist video parodying Indians" which "particularly targets the Sikh minority".

News portal The Quint said it was "yet another attempt by Chinese media to push its aggressive rhetoric on the stand-off", while India Today accused Chinese media of going a "step further" in mocking India.

The UK-based Sikh Press Association said it was "sad to see just how low Chinese media have stooped in using Sikh identity as a pawn in their state propaganda against India," pointing out that Sikhs make up less than 2% of India's population.

The video also prompted criticism from social media users.

But it has also generated some debate on the Doklam stand-off, with many on Facebook arguing about which country has sovereignty over the disputed territory.

How did all this begin?

The conflict began in mid-June when India opposed China's attempt to extend a border road through a plateau known as Doklam in India and Donglang in China.

The plateau, which lies at a junction between China, the north-eastern Indian state of Sikkim and the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, is currently disputed between Beijing and Bhutan. India supports Bhutan's claim over it.

India and China fought a war over the border in 1962, and disputes remain unresolved in several areas, causing tensions to rise from time to time.

Each side has reinforced its troops and called on the other to back down.

On Wednesday, Indian officials said another border confrontation had flared up, this time in the Western Himalayas. </s> Amidst a raging tension between India and China over Doklam Standoff, a Chinese news agency, Xinhua, has mocked India in a spoof video.

Titled as "7 Sins of India. It’s time for India to confess its SEVEN SINS" the video accuses India of trespassing, violation bilateral convention, trampling international law.

The anchor Dier Wang says," Didn't your mama tell you never break the law?" Wang also says that India is pretending to be asleep.

"When the whole world is trying to wake India up from its impulse, China has realized it's impossible to awaken a guy who's pretending to be asleep."

In the video, a man appears with a stick-on beard apparently representing a Sikh.

"Do you negotiate with a robber who had just broken into your house... You just call 911 or just fight him back, right?" says Ms Wang. 911 is the number used in the US for emergency hotline.

The actor answers "Why call 911 - don't you wanna play house, bro?" The total duration of the video is three minutes and has been posted through Xinhua's English-language account on Twitter.

The total duration of the video is three minutes and has been posted through Xinhua's English-language account on Twitter.

Here is the video:

India and China have been locked in a face-off in the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector for nearly eight weeks after Indian troops stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in the area.

China claimed it was constructing the road within their territory and has been demanding immediate pull-out of the Indian troops from the disputed Doklam plateau. Bhutan says Doklam belongs to it but China claims it to be its territory.

China has been ramping up rhetoric against India over the last few weeks demanding the immediate withdrawal of Indian troops from Doklam. The Chinese state media, particularly, have carried a barrage of critical articles on the Doklam stand- off slamming India.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had recently said both sides should first pull back their troops for any talks to take place, favoring a peaceful resolution of the border standoff.

India also conveyed to the Chinese government that the road construction would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for it. </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> 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> India and China continue to militarily reinforce their positions with the almost two-month long troop standoff in Doklam. Diplomatic channels, however, are also being used in a bid to diffuse the tense faceoff in the Bhutanese territory of Doklam. According to sources "some build-up" in terms of additional troops and tanks as well as artillery and air defence units in the Tibet Military District by the People's Liberation Army (PLA). </s> Four weeks and running, the India-China standoff at Doklam shows no sign of ending. Yes, this one near the borders of India, China and Bhutan seems different and more menacing. It is the first time that India has engaged China from a third country — a fact that seems to have shocked some layers of the Chinese establishment.The message from China’s official, quasi-official and non-official sources is the same, the difference being the degree of belligerence: India is at fault, it must back down, withdraw its troops and let Bhutan and China sort out their boundary dispute. In other words, China should have the freedom to coerce a tiny country.India has maintained a calm but firm stance, kept the temperature low on its side and sent signals it wants to sort the problem with dialogue. The reporting has been sane with none of the hyperbole coming out of various founts of the Chinese media machine. Thankfully, there has been no charge of the Indian TV brigade.Outside experts have weighed in —deconstructing the developments with keen insights. Lapsed ones like 1962 Sino-Indian war scholar Neville Maxwell have also offered their predictable views based on realities frozen in the past. Interestingly, Maxwell’s diatribe came without any input from the Chinese. He was floundering for information from sources far from Beijing. The rest was bias.The reasons for China forcing a boundary dispute front and centre are many. China under President Xi Jinping has flapped its wings all around: from the oceans to the Himalayas to test the resolve of targeted countries. This also happens to be an ‘election’ year in China — even though the winner of the game of thrones is already known.The 19th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party is expected to anoint Xi for a second term. But he is manoeuvring to stay in power beyond the traditional 10 years. At least one prominent rival was put under investigation last week for — what else? —party indiscipline. Xi could be around until 2027.There was no pressing need for the current confrontation with India. But it is continuation of adversarial politics by other means. The mythology around the closed Chinese system is so exaggerated that Western experts step gingerly around its constant aggressions, almost afraid to call China out as they do Russia.The Chinese have cleverly managed to play both instigator and victim in the Doklam stand-off. Making a distinction between India and Bhutan, and treating them separately without any cognisance of the India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty, profits the Chinese. It allows Beijing to demand that India unilaterally vacate its positions on China’s terms. The Chinese also chose the time carefully.Their road-building in Doklam came before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with US President Donald Trump , and after his meeting with Xi in Astana on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.Earlier, border transgressions, such as the one in Depsang, occurred when Sino-Indian relations were relatively stable — or at least in better shape than they are now. Who bears primary blame for deterioration is a matter of judgement.After Modi naïvely tried to establish a personal relationship with Xi and failed, the more innate parts of the BJP’s thinking on China appear to have crept in. This may have partly led India to ‘expose’ China on issues related to Pakistan: India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) and efforts to get Pakistani terrorists on the UN sanctions list.Acycle of action and reaction followed. The Chinese were apoplectic when the Dalai Lama visited Arunachal Pradesh. But why shouldn’t a religious leader travel freely in India? The list of hostile acts by the Chinese against India is long, starting with making Pakistan into a bigger nuisance than it already was by augmenting its nuclear and missile capabilities. They completed the circle by running the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor ( CPEC ) through territory claimed by India.China’s ‘string of pearls’ strategy of systematically influencing India’s closest neighbours, its forays into the Indian Ocean and the constant border incursions despite management mechanisms laboriously put in place — Beijing has constantly tried to restrict India’s strategic space while slowly gobbling land bit by bit. India’s proximity to the US is deemed suspect and destabilising for Asia. But China can seek a ‘new type of major power relations’ with Washington.China can violate agreements it signed in the past by simply pleading it was ‘weak’ then, even though it has been courted by different blocs since the middle of the last century. China has successfully kept the Association of South Asian Nations (Asean) divided for years, never allowing a consensus to emerge on a ‘code of conduct’ for settling disputes in the South China Sea In China’s worldview, no one has the same rights and privileges it does. Not for nothing does China call itself the Middle Kingdom. It’s not the middle between Left and Right, but the middle around which the world revolves. Those who know the language and Chinese characters say people often miss this nuance.No one can predict how or when the current stand-off will end. But we know intimidation is a bully’s primary tactic. And if you are not intimidated, the bully normally backs off.
An English-language Chinese propaganda video from Xinhua, entitled The Spark: 7 Sins of India about the Doklam stand-off involving China, India and Bhutan, goes viral and sparks anger within India.