With India confirming on Monday that an "expeditious disengagement of border personnel" had begun from Doklam, the site of a 70-day stand-off near the India-China-Bhutan trijunction, China reiterated it would "continue to exercise its sovereignty" over the region.

"The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty, uphold territorial integrity in accordance with the historical conventions," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.

Hua said that "on the afternoon on August 28, India has pulled back all the trespassing personnel, equipment to the Indian side of the boundary" and that "Chinese troops had taken effective measures to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and legitimate rights and interests."

"The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty, uphold territorial integrity in accordance with the historical conventions," Hua added. "The Chinese government attaches importance to its friendly relations with India. We hope India can earnestly abide by historical relations and norms governing the international law based on the mutual respect of sovereignty to uphold the peace tranquillity of the border with India."

China added that it would continue to patrol in Doklam, but did not immediately mention its road-building activity there, which was what India and Bhutan had objected to. Chinese and Bhutanese troops have both carried out patrols in the region in the past.

China had insisted on India withdrawing first as a precondition to resolving the stand-off. Over the past two months, China's Foreign Ministry and Defence Ministry have issued more than a dozen strong statements demanding India's withdrawal.

Given Beijing's sharp rhetoric and the nationalist sentiment it has fanned at home, analysts said China was always unlikely to publicly confirm agreeing to any sort of compromise that might paint its leadership in a weak light ahead of a crucial November Party congress.

Both sides were keen for a resolution with Prime Minister Modi set to arrive in China on Sunday for the BRICS Summit in Xiamen.

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