BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday that there has been no territorial dispute in the Doklam area.
Last month, Indian border troops crossed the China-India boundary at the Sikkim section and entered Chinese territory, obstructing normal Chinese border troop activity in Doklam.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop reportedly said, "My understanding is that this is a long-term dispute ... Australia's position is that territorial disputes should be resolved peacefully between the claimant countries."
"It is right to say that territorial disputes should be resolved peacefully, but I must point out that such a saying is not applied to the situation in Doklam because there has been no territorial dispute at all at the site where the incident takes place," spokesperson Lu Kang said.
The Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been demarcated, which is recognized by both China and India, Lu said.
The trespass of India border troops took place at the defined Sikkim section of the China-India boundary. It is different in nature from previous frictions and stand-offs between the two sides at undefined sections of the China-India boundary, Lu said.
"China is willing to maintain peace and stability of the China-India boundary, but China will not make compromises regarding sovereignty," the spokesperson said.
Lu said the Indian side is fully to blame for the incident, urging it to avoid any escalation of the situation.
