Withdraw troops from disputed area: China

China stepped up diplomatic offensive on Wednesday and asked India to withdraw troops from what it claims is a disputed territory, with its foreign office warning of a travel advisory for Chinese citizens across India.

"To earn the trust of its neighbour, India has to withdraw troops from the territory illegally trespassed," a statement said.

China and India have been engaged in a standoff in Sikkim's Doka La area near the Bhutan tri-junction for almost a month — the longest such impasse since the 1962 war between the two countries.

The Chinese foreign office also accused India of "trampling" on the Panchsheel Principles and asked New Delhi to "correct its mistakes" by pulling back troops. It also accused India of "misleading the public" by saying that Chinese troops are building a road close to the Chicken's Neck in the Sikkim.

"I want to point that the relevant actions by the Indian side violated the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter in defiance of the international law and international norms. As we all know in 1950s China, India and Myanmar proposed the five principles (Panchsheel) of coexistence," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Gen Shuang said.

The five principles of peaceful coexistence, known as Panchsheel, have formed the bedrock of the relationship between India and China.

Their first formal codification in a treaty form was in an agreement between China and India in 1954.

Geng said this time the Indian troops crossed the delineated boundary into the Chinese side and the nature of the incident was "very serious". "China and India have been in contact through the special representatives' mechanism to solve the boundary question but this incident, I believe, violates the spirit upheld by the special representatives' mechanism and goes in contrast to the efforts made by the two countries," he said.

The Chinese spokesman claimed that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had endorsed the 1890 Sino-British convention on Sikkim in a letter to his Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in 1959

China and Bhutan are engaged in talks over the resolution of the area. Bhutan, however, has no diplomatic ties with China and it is supported militarily and diplomatically by India. Sikkim, which became a part of India in May 1976, is the only state which has a demarcated border with China. The lines are based on a treaty signed with the Chinese in 1898. The standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries was triggered when the Indian Army blocked the construction of a road by China in the Doklam area.

China as mark of protest earlier denied Indian pilgrims entry for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim. India has pushed in more troops in a "non-combative mode" to strengthen its position in the area.

While China has been reminding India of its humiliating defeat in the 1962 war, what exudes confidence in India is the fact that at least on three occasions post 1962, it has given a bloody nose to Chinese troops. These are the Nathu La conflict of 1967, the Cho La conflict of 1967 and the 1987 Sino-Indian skirmish.

Nathu La was a major border skirmish after 1962. Indian troops drove back the attacking Chinese forces and were able to destroy many Chinese bunkers at Nathu La. It all started on August 13, 1967, when Chinese troops began digging trenches in Nathu La on the Indian side. The clashes lasted for three days after which the Indian Army delivered a strong message to China that "1962 mistakes won't be repeated".

Just months after, the Chinese army carried out another attack on the Indian Army in Cho La in October 1967. To their surprise, the 7/11 GR and 10 JAK RIF stood firm and forced Chinese to withdraw nearly three kilometres away from the border. Since then Nathu La and Cho La passes have remained under India's control.

The last skirmish happened in 1987 in Sumdorong Chu in Arunachal Pradesh, where both countries came close to a war. When India granted statehood to Arunachal Pradesh, the Chinese government proceeded to protest. In early 1987, Beijing's tone became similar to that in 1962, and with the Indian Army refusing to stand down, Western diplomats predicted a war. However, then External Affairs Minister ND Tiwari's arrival in Beijing in May 1987 helped in reducing the tension. Finally, in 1993, the two countries signed an agreement to ensure peace along the LAC.