If Doklam standoff continues, China may issue ultimatum to India, says ex-naval officer

Beijing:With Doklam standoff still continuing between India and China, an ex-rear admiral of the Chinese Navy has warned that his country's foreign and defense ministries may issue an ultimatum to India before September to retreat to its side.

"If India keeps its troops in Chinese territory, China's foreign and defense ministries are very likely to issue an ultimatum before September of giving a certain number of days to India to withdraw its troops. After the deadline, if Indian troops still remain within China's territory, India will be responsible for all the consequences," the Global Times quoted Rear Admiral (Retired) Xu Guangyu, who is now a senior adviser to the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, as saying.

China has multiple ways of pushing India back to its own soil if India ignores the ultimatum, as a few dozen military personnel and one bulldozer [in Doklam] is a piece of cake for the Chinese military," Xu said.

Rear Admiral (Retired) Guangyu even stressed that the BRICS summit will not be disrupted because of the Doklam issue and will specifically focus on cooperation between rising economies.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying has reaffirmed China's position that the withdrawal of the Indian troops in Doklam is the precondition to solving the problem.

"China is more than capable of defeating India in potential military conflict with its advanced weapons and air bases," Chinese state media quoted Chinese analysts said.

"Even if India withdraws its troops from the Doklam Plateau, China will not let the matter drop, because withdrawal is just the precondition, not the solution. China will still make India pay for its offensive and provocative behavior even if India withdraws its troops as China requests," Global Times quoted Ye Hailin, director of the National Institute of International Strategy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, as saying.