不戰而少報敵方之兵，上之上上策也 ——

中方聲稱，洞朗只剩下53名印軍士兵；多家印媒報道，至少有350名印軍 

 53 Indian soldiers remain at Doklam standoff site, China claims

Beijing on Wednesday claimed that 53 Indian soldiers and one bulldozer remained at the Doklam standoff site. New Delhi had last week denied a similar Chinese claim.

IndiaToday.in  | Edited by Dev Goswami

New Delhi,  August 10, 2017 | UPDATED 11:28 IST

File photo of Indian and Chinese soldiers taking part in a joint exerciseFile photo of Indian and Chinese soldiers taking part in a joint exercise

HIGHLIGHTS

53 Indian soldiers at Doklam: Chinese Foreign Ministry

China had made a similar claim last week, a claim that India denied

India must be willing to swallow consequences: Chinese editorial warned on Wednesday

China, on Wednesday, once claim that India had reduced its troop strength on the Doklam plateau, the site of a seven-month-long standoff between the armies of the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

The claim was made by China's Foreign Ministry, which, according to a Global Times report, said that 53 Indian troops remain at the standoff site, which is close to the Sikkim border, near the India-China-Bhutan trijunction point.

Citing the ministry, Global Times reported said that 53 people and a bulldozer from the Indian side remain in "Chinese territory" as of Monday.

The new claim is similar to the one from last week. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang had then said that "there were 48 Indian soldiers and one bulldozer" in the Doklam area as of August 2.

"In addition, there are still a large number of Indian armed forces congregating on the boundary and on the Indian side of the boundary," Geng had said.

India, however, had denied those claim, with sources saying that the there was change in the troop strength at the standoff site, except for movements to relieve soldiers who are locked in the face-off.

谷歌一秒鐘，自動英翻中：

Doklam的53名印度士兵：中國外交部

中國在上周也提出了類似的要求，即印度否認這一點

印度必須願意吞下後果：中國社論星期三警告

中國星期三曾經聲稱，印度在兩個核武國家軍隊間長達七個月的對峙時期，在德克拉斯高原上降低了部隊兵力。

這項索賠是由中國外交部作出的，據外電報道，根據“環球時報”的報道，53名印度軍隊仍然離印度 - 不丹三角關係附近的錫金邊界接近。

“環球時報”援引該部稱，截至星期一，53人和印度方面的推土機仍在“中國領土”。

新的索賠與上周相似。中國外交部發言人耿雙康說，截至8月2日，Doklam地區“有48名印度士兵和一輛推土機”。

“此外，還有大量的印度武裝分子在邊界和印度邊界聚集在一起，”耿說。

不過，印度否認了這些說法，消息來源說，對抗場地的部隊人數有所變化，除了減輕被鎖定在外面的士兵的動作外。

Even the latest Chinese claim could prove to be untrue. The Indian Express today reported that around 350 Indian soldiers remain in the Doklam. 

即使是最新的中國聲明也許是不真實的。 《印度快報》今天報道說，約有350名印度士兵仍然留在道克拉姆 / 洞朗。

     Indian soldiers stand at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Wednesday, Sept. 9

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. John W. Nicholson, center, commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division, welcomes Indian army troops assigned to the 99th Mountain Brigade, the 50th Independent Para Brigade, and supporting elements to Yudh Abhyas 2013 on Fort Bragg, N.C., May 3, 2013.

The Indian daily's report was about the People's Liberation Army stepping up troop presence around a kilometer away from the standoff site.

Notably, New Delhi has never officially communicated the exact number of Indian soldiers present in Doklam. Media reports have said that the troops number 300-350.

'SEVEN SINS'

Meanwhile, commentary carried by Xinhua, the official news agency of the People's Republic of China, slammed India for committing "seven "sins" against Chinese sovereignty and international law."

"These severe mistakes may trigger unpredictable consequences and greatly undermine regional peace and stability," the piece added.

The Xinhua editorial is part of what has become a daily trend of articles/opinion pieces on the Doklam standoff. Chinese state media has been particularly aggressive on the issue, maintaining a constant barrage of pieces seemingly aimed at antagonising India.

The Xinhua commentary, published Wednesday, repeats the same arguments that have been previously been raised in pieces carried by other state-run media outlets.

The article says that the Indian move to send soldiers to Doklam violates the 1890 Convention between Great Britain and China and that "it is obvious that India's military invasion, under the pretext of so-called 'security concerns,' tramples on the principles of the law as well as international order and cannot be tolerated by any sovereign state."  

New Delhi has highlighted concerns that Chinese road construction, which is what sparked the crisis, in Doklam could pose a security threat to the so-called Chicken's Nest that links India to its northeast.

Notably, the Xinhua piece repeats an explosive claim that China made earlier this week - that Bhutan has admitted to Doklam being a part of China. The claim was made by a Chinese official earlier this week, but was not corroborated by Thimpu.

"The fact is that the Bhutanese authorities have clearly told Chinese officials that Doklam is not Bhutan's territory and expressed bewilderment at India's trespassing into Chinese soil," the Xinhua piece says, concluding that India must be willing to "swallow possible consequences" if it doesn't withdraw its troops from Doklam.

STANDOFF

India and China have been locked in a face-off in the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector for over 50 days after Indian troops stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in the area.

China claimed it was constructing the road within their territory and has been demanding immediate pull-out of the Indian troops from the disputed Doklam plateau. Bhutan says Doklam belongs to it but China claims the area belongs to it and says Thimphu has no dispute with Beijing over it.

Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/53-indian-soldiers-at-doklam-standoff-site-china-claims/1/1022764.html

Doklam standoff: China Claims Only 53 Indian Soldiers Remain

Amid tensions, the Indian Army has decided to organise a two-week training exercise in Sikkim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-423I27ndfM