Sikkim standoff: US wants 'direct dialogue' between India and China to reduce tension

The United States has expressed concern over the border conflict between India and China in the Doka La or Doklam region of Sikkim and said that it would encourage both the countries to have a direct dialogue to reduce tension.

"We encourage India and China to engage in a direct dialogue aimed at reducing tensions," a State Department official told PTI on Tuesday while also refraining from saying anything else. "We refer you to the governments of India and China for further information," the official added.

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The standoff between India and China, which began on June 16, is probably the longest in 30 years. It started after China accused India of violating border agreement saying that Indian troops had allegedly entered the Doka La or Doklam region and stopped the Chinese troops from constructing a road. India responded by saying that the border dispute is yet to be resolved and that China should "desist from changing the status quo."

India also accused China of building roads on the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction and its People's Liberation Army (PLA) of intruding into Indian territory in Sikkim and destroying bunkers, while China has claimed India is provoking them and the issue can be resolved only if India withdraws its troops.

"I know that the US is concerned about the ongoing situation there. We believe that both parties, both sides should work together to try to come up with some better sort of arrangement for peace," US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at her daily news conference.

China moves "tens of thousands of tonnes" of military equipment to Tibet

China has also reportedly moved "tens of thousands of tonnes" of military vehicles and equipment to Tibet under the garb of a couple of defence exercises, which were held on the plateau recently. However, media reports suggest that the massive deployment is aimed at muscle-flexing amid the Doklam standoff.

Logistics were beefed up in northern Tibet and not near the Sikkim border, India Today reported. China is capable of rapidly deploying military equipment near the border as it has a vast road and rail network in Tibet.

"The vast haul was transported to a region south of the Kunlun Mountains in northern Tibet by the Western Theatre Command - which oversees the restive regions of Xinjiang and Tibet, and handles border issues with India," the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily, the official newspaper of the military, was quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

The report added that the project "took place late last month" and "involved hardware being moved simultaneously by road and rail from across the entire region."

The mountain brigade of the Chinese Army, which is responsible for frontier combat operations, had conducted live-fire drills and also tested anti-aircraft guns in Tibet last weekend. 

Shanghai-based military commentator Ni Lexiong told SCMP that the movement of military equipment was "likely related to the stand-off and could have been designed to bring India to the negotiating table." He added that "diplomatic talks must be backed by military preparation."

"The PLA wanted to demonstrate it could easily overpower its Indian counterparts," another military commentator Zhou Chenming told the paper.

Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam. China has consistently claimed that Doka La is part of its Donglang region. A 220-km section, out of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, falls in Sikkim.