“Don’t Make Random Comments”: China Snubs Japan’s Stance on Doklam

Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe and Prime Minister Modi shake hands at the Tokyo Summit in 2014.

(Photo: Reuters)

China on Friday told Japan not to make "random" comments on the Sino-Indian border stand-off even if it wants to support New Delhi.

Japan has rallied behind India over the dragging feud at Doklam, with its envoy Kenji Hiramatsu saying that the region is disputed and Tokyo understands why New Delhi got embroiled in it.

“I have seen the Japanese Ambassador in India really wants to support India. I want to remind him not to randomly make comments before clarifying relevant facts,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

She rebutted Hiramatsu, who said that Doklam, on the Sikkim section of the India-China border, was disputed and no country should change the status quo by using force.

Japan has backed India in its two-month-long protracted military stand-off with China’s People's Liberation Army at Doklam, near Sikkim-Tibet-Bhutan trijunction, saying no “unilateral force should be used to change the status quo on ground”.

“We recognise Doklam is a disputed area between Bhutan and China and the two countries are engaged in border talks. We also understand that India has a treaty understanding with Bhutan, that's why Indian troops got involved in the area,” local media quoted Japanese Ambassador to India, Kenji Hiramatsu, as saying.

The statement comes ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visit to India in September.

Also Read: Doklam Standoff: Why War Is Not An Option for India

China’s attempt to construct a road through the Doklam plateau, which is part of Bhutan, was stalled by the Indian troops as it could pose as a serious disadvantage to India’s military.

Japan, too, is engaged in sovereignty issues with China over East China sea and thus its endorsement of India can be seen as a significant development. 

An India Today report quoted Hiramatsu as saying that Japan understands India’s involvement in Doklam as it is “based on bilateral agreements with Bhutan” and that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s clarity on working to resolve the issue peacefully through diplomatic channels is “important”.

The US has also insisted on settling the ongoing stand-off through dialogue. “We are encouraging both parties to sit down and have a direct dialogue,” US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said on 16 August.

Also Read: Doklam Standoff Explained: Who’s Involved & Why’s India Bothered?

(With inputs from ANI.)

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