Doklam standoff: 3 reasons why the Chinese will not back off

"It will be ‘ridiculous to conclude’ that China will allow any compromise of its territorial integrity.

There seems to be no respite at Doklam where the Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a standoff for more than five weeks. In this backdrop, a Chinese scholar has given three reasons why China will not pull out of Doklam.

You Dongxiao, an associate professor with the International College of Defense at the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army, has written a column in Xinhua explaining why the Chinese are unlikely to back down at Doklam.

1. Doklam falls under China and that this is the first intrusion into the Chinese side of the boundary. He says that the 1890 Convention between Great Britain and China relating to Sikkim and Tibet and says that the region has been 'clearly delineated' according to the agreement. "If China backs down now, India may be emboldened to make more trouble in the future."

2. India has not given any 'legal basis' for its troops entering the territory and halting Chinese road construction. Dongxiao questioned when and why Bhutan asked India to step into Doklam to protect its interests. "India's own security concerns cannot possibly warrant a military occupation of a neighboring country. If they did, then any country could send its military forces unbidden into any neighboring country over purely internal security concerns,"

3. "It will be 'ridiculous to conclude' that China will allow any compromise of its territorial integrity. China will never back down in the face of foreign military pressure and will defend its native soil at all costs. However China would not wish to enter into a war with India as peace is essential for its economic growth and reform agenda."

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