BEIJING (Sputnik) – China will maintain a high combat readiness level in the disputed area of Doklam (Donglang) near the border with India and Bhutan after reaching an agreement with New Delhi on the disengagement of troops, Director of the Information Office of the Chinese Defense Ministry Wu Qian said on Monday.
"On August 28, at 14:30 [06:30 GMT] the Indian party disengaged all its vehicles and personnel. The Chinese party at the scene confirmed this fact. The Chinese troops will maintain the high combat readiness level and will decisively protect the territorial sovereignty of the country," Wu said in a televised address.
The Defense Ministry pointed out that the security and stability of the Chinese-Indian border was vital for regional and global security.
Earlier in the day, China and India agreed on the accelerated withdrawal of troops from Doklam.
India and China have been locked in a border standoff since mid-June. The confrontation started after Indian troops blocked road construction being carried out by China in the disputed area of Doklam (Donglang).
China insists that the territorial dispute in Sikkim was resolved as long ago as in 1890, when Beijing and the British Empire signed the so-called Convention of Calcutta, which defined Sikkim's borders. However, India-backed Bhutan is convinced that Beijing’s attempt to extend a road to the Donglang area goes against a China-Bhutan agreement on maintaining peace in the region until the dispute is resolved.
Border standoffs between Indian and Chinese troops occur on an almost daily basis at different parts along the 4,057-kilometer (about 2,521 miles) LAC between the two nations, an informal cease-fire line between India and China after the 1962 conflict.
