China Demands India Pulls Back Troops in Border Dispute

China demanded that India pull back its troops from a contested region high in the Himalayas, warning New Delhi not “to push your luck” amid a festering border dispute. According to Indian officials, about 300 soldiers from either side face each other about 150 metres apart on the Doklam plateau, an area also claimed by India’s ally Bhutan. On Monday, Colonel Wu Qian, Chinese defence ministry spokesman, said India must not underestimate Beijing’s determination to safeguard what it considers sovereign Chinese territory in the Doklam plateau, Al Jazeera reported. India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the border road has serious security implications. “If China unilaterally changes the status quo of the tri-junction, it becomes a matter of security concern for India,” Swaraj said in parliament last week. China and India share a 3,500km frontier, large parts of which are disputed.