Amid a continuing standoff on the Sikkim border between India and China, Beijing on Friday said New Delhi had “ulterior motives” behind terming the Donglang or Doklam region as part of the tri-junction with Bhutan, PTI reported. Beijing also insisted that it had not breached the Special Representatives mechanism, set up by the two countries to solve border disputes, and that the road being built by China had nothing to do with the tri-junction point.

“The so-called tri-junction point as the name implies is a point instead of a line or an area,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing. “The Indian side introduced the idea of the tri-junction point into the incident in an attempt to enlarge the point into an area that is absurd and has ulterior motives.”

China had alleged that the Indian troops had illegally trespassed at the Sikkim section of the Indian-China boundary. “In disregard of the boundary convention, the Indian side takes entire Doklam area as part of the tri-junction. This is out of ulterior motives,” Geng said. He added that New Delhi’s acceptance of the 1890 Sino-British Treaty on the boundaries in the area “should not change with the passage of time”, PTI reported.

The Sikkim standoff

India and China have both maintained that troops from the other country transgressed into their territory. Bilateral ties have been strained since the Indian Army blocked construction of the road by China in Doklam area. New Delhi has made it clear that it will not allow China to construct a motorable road up to the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction through the Doklam plateau. The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim was also cancelled amid the continuing standoff.