The site of the standoff at Chumur in Ladakh after Chinese incursion

About 1,000 Chinese soldiers have not budged from the site of an intense face-off with India in Chumur in Ladakh, even five days after their President Xi Jinping told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he had ordered his troops to withdraw.Now the Chinese Defence Ministry has, in an unprecedented statement, asked its soldiers to "follow President Xi's orders". The statement, posted on the ministry's website said, "All PLA (People's Liberation Army) forces should follow the instructions of President Xi Jinping, also chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and update their operations to meet new goals and missions set by the CMC."The new order betrays a mystifying disconnect between the President's instructions and the response of his troops.Indian strategists say it is even more surprising because Xi Jinping is one of China's most powerful presidents in almost 30 years; he took over as chairman of the Central Military Commission and as president at the same time.That the Chinese soldiers have apparently not followed their president's orders indicates a long-haul crisis for India, which yesterday took steps to show its displeasure at the border standoff.New Delhi on Sunday withdrew clearances for Chinese editors who were coming to Delhi for an annual media exchange with Indian journalists.The border face-off clouded President Xi's three-day India visit, which ended on Friday. PM Modi raised with him twice the subject of incursions and bluntly called for an early solution and clarification of the Line of Actual Control.

Chumur, which is the southernmost part of Ladakh, stands at the intersection of the international border and the Line of Actual Control or the de facto border between the two countries. The Chinese troops allegedly brought in in heavy construction equipment and a large labour force to set up a road up to the border.The standoff in Chumur worsened on Saturday after a second intrusion by Chinese army personnel in two days was reported at another point after they had withdrawn from the same area.