India rules out troop withdrawal

​New Delhi/Beijing: Taking a tough stance, India on Wednesday turned down China's demand that the Indian Army should immediately withdraw soldiers from Doklam near the Sikkim-China-Bhutan trijunction.

Government sources made it clear that there has been no troop reduction in Doklam. "Indian forces stand as previously against the Chinese troops," the sources said.

An official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said: "India considers that peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas is an important prerequisite for smooth development of our bilateral relations with China".

Earlier in the day, China had released a 15-page statement slamming India's stand on the ongoing border stand-off in Doklam and demanded "immediate and unconditional withdrawal".

In the statement, Beijing claimed it had "notified India in advance" of its plans to build a road in Doklam, which sparked the stand-off on June 18.

The statement said "over 400" Indian border troops had on June 18 "advanced over 180 metres into Chinese territory", and that as of the end of July, "there were still over 40 Indian border troops and one bulldozer illegally staying in the Chinese territory."

It alleged that India had trespassing into Doklam region, which China sees as its territory but India and Bhutan see as Bhutanese.

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.