China on Monday warned India to not “harbour any illusions” about the country’s ability to defend its territory. It has urged New Delhi to withdraw its troops from the border in the Sikkim sector’s Doklam area, saying it was a precondition to resolve the dispute between the two countries.

“India should not leave things to luck and not harbour any unrealistic illusions,” China’s Defence Ministry Spokesperson Wu Qian said, according to Reuters. “We strongly urge India to take practical steps to correct its mistake, cease provocations and meet China halfway in jointly safeguarding the border region’s peace and tranquillity.”

Wu further said that it was easier to “move a mountain” than China’s People’s Liberation Army, adding that the country would defend its territorial sovereignty “at all costs”, reported state news agency, Xinhua.

On July 21, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said both countries needed to withdraw their armies from Doklam. “From our side, there is no unreasonable demand,” she had said while responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

The Sikkim standoff

India and China are currently locked in a diplomatic standoff. Both nations havemaintained that troops from the other country had transgressed into their territory in the Sikkim sector’s Doklam area.

Bilateral ties have been strained since the Indian Army stopped China from constructing a road in the region. 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.