NEW DELHI: "Is it your territory?

" China's state councillor Yang Jiechi bluntly

asked national security adviser A K Doval on the presence of Indian troops
at Doklam as the two met on July 27 in Beijing+ to make the first diplomatic
stab at resolving the confrontation over the strategically crucial patch.

The sharp poser reflected the Chinese intransigence over changing the status
quo+ at the trijunction of Bhutan, India and China by building a road through what
India considers to be Bhutanese territory.

The toughness failed to faze Doval, who, according to sources here, is learned to
have responded that the point of contention was not China's territory either as it
had been claimed by Bhutan. "Does every disputed territory become China's by
default?" sources quoted the NSA as having replied.

Doval asserted that the territory was part of Bhutan, and a treaty with the
Himalayan kingdom obliged India to look after the latter's security.

The NSA also stressed that Doklam was on the table during the several rounds of
negotiations China has held with Bhutan to solve their border disputes, while
reminding his interlocutor of Beijing's offer to hand over to the kingdom 500 sq
km in the north in exchange for Doklam.

He is learned to have argued that China's claim over Doklam was not settled, and
both sides should simultaneously pull back their troops to restore status quo.

Read this story in Gujarati

The sharp exchange was followed by several rounds of negotiations between the
two sides in Beijing in which foreign secretary S Jaishankar, along with India's
ambassador to China Vijay Gokhale, tried to hammer out a solution.
The talks had been okayed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese
President Xi Jinping when they met in Hamburg on the sidelines of the G20
meeting+ on July 7. The meeting saw Modi telling Xi that the dispute should not
be allowed to escalate and suggesting that negotiations be held at the NSA level.

Modi asked his team to explore ways for early resolution of the confrontation, the
worst in many decades, saying differences should not be allowed to turn into
conflicts as the two countries had a lot to gain from cooperation. At the same time,
he sketched his bottomline very clearly. "India will not allow the status quo to be
changed by force under any circumstance.

Any change must happen through negotiations and through mutual understanding,"
the PM is learned to have emphasised.

The brief saw the government refusing to be baited by the endless barrage of
provocative statements and actions from China, including
"conspicuous" movement of missiles+ and tanks, and scuffles+ at other border
points.

TOP COMMENT
Ajit Doval is a Hindu Nationalist NSA unlike previous ones who were Seculars/Coward. Doval believe in
Akhand Bharat of Chandragupta Maurya. As long as he is NSA India is in safe hands.mohanbabu1234567

The posture of restraint saw the Army being instructed to ignore provocations.
"Even a single shot fired by an edgy soldier could have sparked a wider
conflagration in such tense times," said a senior officer as he expressed admiration
for the Army leadership for enforcing compliance.

But the Army did not lower its vigil even for a moment as it reinforced men and
 material at the confrontation site, and moved back-up forces close. "We knew that
the rhetoric and the movement of missiles etc were mind games intended to get us
to blink. But at the same time, we were prepared for any eventuality which might
have been forced on us," said a source who added that China, used to having its
way in territorial disputes with countries like the Philippines, had not bargained for
India's doggedness and finally came around to realise that negotiations were the
only way out.+

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