No stand-off at border with India: China

Beijing, Sept 15: There was no stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops at the border, China said, prompting an expert to note that such news is "harmful to the relationship" between the two countries.

China on Monday said there was no stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the border area following Indian media reports which said Indian troops demolished a Chinese constructed watch tower.

"As far as I know, there is no such 'face-off' between China and India in the border area," Hong Lei, spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was quoted as saying on Monday.

He said China is committed to maintaining the peace and tranquility at the border and hoped India could clarify the related matter and work with China.

"This is not the first time that Indian media has reported 'confrontations' that do not exist in the Sino-Indian border area.

These news are often untrue, negative, misleading and aimed at provoking public opinion, and are harmful to the relationship between China and India," Global Times quoted Jiang Jingkui, director of the Department of South Asian Languages at Peking University, as saying.

"There is a certain group of people, including the military, who are hostile towards China. Unlike the Indian government and local citizens who are supportive of Sino-Indian relations and peaceful development, they believe that a war with China is inevitable as they want to avenge the Sino-Indian confrontation that took place in 1962," added Jiang.

He said such media accusations are unreasonable as Chinese troops have never intruded Indian border.

Sino-Indian relations are enjoying a sound momentum of development, Hong said. The significant consensus reached between leaders of both sides on maintaining peace and tranquility of the border area serves as an important guarantee for the sustainable development of bilateral relations, he added.

Hong hoped that India will bear the big picture of bilateral ties in mind, and safeguard peace of the border area so as to create a favorable environment for the development of bilateral relations.

Jiang said the ties between the two countries are stable, because the leaders of both countries focus more on cooperation than confrontations.

"This is just a minor incident. With China's Belt and Road Initiative which requires cooperation, Sino-Indian relationship will continue to develop peacefully as India will also benefit from the scheme," he said.

IANS