Dokalam stand-off: Chinese media warns India, says be prepared for ‘all-out confrontation’

New Delhi: Amid simmering border tension over Dokalam in Sikkim, China's state-controlled media on Tuesday warned India to be prepared for an “all-out confrontation” along the entire stretch of the disputed boundary with the Communist country.

An article published in China's Global Times threatened to open up new fronts of conflict on the 3,488 km non-demarcated border between the two countries. 

The article in the Global Times was published after China’s military reportedly conducted live-fire exercises in the remote mountainous Tibet region to test its strike capability on plateaus amid the stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the Dokalam.

China isn’t afraid to go to “war” with India and will be ready for a long-term confrontation, the Global Times piece said.

China had earlier said that there is “no room” for negotiations to resolve the military face-off and the only solution is the withdrawal of Indian troops from the Donglang or Doklam region.

India will face “embarrassment” if it does not withdraw its border troops to its own side and the situation could get “worse”,  the official Xinhua news agency had earlier said.

“China has made it clear that there is no room for negotiations on this incident, and India must withdraw its border-crossing troops from Doklam. For China, border line is the bottom line,” the commentary said.

China has blamed India for the ongoing Donglang (Dokalam) impasse, accusing Indian soldiers of trespass and preventing Chinese soldiers from building a road in the region, which is also claimed by Bhutan.

Beijing wants India to withdraw its troops from Donglang before the two sides can open talks. New Delhi says the road, if built, will have serious security implications for India.

Meanwhile, an article in the Global Times had on Sunday stated that India is receiving a “massive influx” of foreign investments which will greatly enhance its ability to develop the manufacturing sector and China should “keep calm” and start working on a more effective growth strategy for the new era.

“This massive influx of investment by foreign manufacturers is of great significance for India’s economy, employment and industrial development,” the article said.

“China should be calm seeing India’s rise. To cope with competition from India, China could start working on a more effective growth strategy for the new era now,” it said.