The 73-day-long Doklam standoff was "safely resolved" after several rounds of talks with India, a top Chinese military official said on Sunday, 22 October, on the sidelines of the ongoing Congress of the ruling CPC.
People's Liberation Army (PLA) official Liu Fang spoke about the resolution of the Doklam standoff citing it as an example of how the Chinese military is trying to resolve issues through dialogue mechanisms with different countries.
“We also conducted a lot of practical cooperation,” she said referring to the Doklam standoff which began on 16 June, when the Chinese military attempted to build a road in the territory claimed by Bhutan close to the Chicken’s Neck area connecting India's north eastern states with the mainland.
The standoff ended on 28 August with mutual understanding after China halted the construction of the road.
“Of course it is safely resolved right now,” Liu said. “My colleagues in the military and other ministries worked very closely and held negotiations with the Indian side many times,” while China clearly reiterated its position, she said.
“All of this contributed a lot to the peaceful resolution of China-India cross border dispute,” she said, referring to the standoff.
Observers attach significance to the PLA acknowledging peaceful resolution of the Doklam standoff, at the CPC Congress which is set to endorse a second term for President Xi Jinping.
The Chinese military is working hard to build up new platforms and measures to improve international cooperation she said, adding, “we already have dialogue mechanisms with 28 organisations.”
(The article has been edited for length)
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