A Global Times article of March 6, 2018 quoted a Chinese expert as saying China has the right to build military facilities within its own territory and complaints from New Delhi made "no sense". He was referring to the Indian Defense Minister's statement, quoted by the Economic Times, that no sooner had Chinese and Indian troops redeployed away from the hotspot than China began building "helipads, sentry posts and trenches" for its army personnel there. Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said "Actually, China has the right to build any military construction it wants as long as it is within its territory. Additionally, India is also building a lot of military bases in the regions bordering China, so if India wants to complain or accuse China of this, it is unqualified and it makes no sense." AChinese military analyst who requested anonymity was also quoted as saying "the Doklam standoff was caused by Indian troops' trespassing". The move afforded the PLA "the opportunity, motivation and excuse to boost military construction and increase its military presence in this area so that in future if any crisis happens in any border area, it won't bring anything good to the country who starts the provocation." Referring to the 8-day joint Milan Naval Exercise that began on March 6, the analyst said "There are voices saying that the exercise is targeting China's growing influence in the Indian Ocean, but many participants in this exercise also have good and close relations with China, so there is really no need to worry at all."
|
