Urges India to abide by the provisions of the agreement

China on Sunday referred to its 1890 treaty with the United Kingdom which, it claims, demarcated the Sikkim sector of the India-China border as it urged New Delhi to abide by its provisions, a day after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made her maiden visit to the Nathu La post.

The Chinese foreign ministry said, “The Sikkim section of the China-India border has been demarcated by the historical boundary.”

‘Face the facts’

“It is the best testimony to this fact. We urge the Indian side to face the facts, abide by the provisions of the historic boundary treaty and the relevant agreement of the parties, and work together with the Chinese side to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas,” it said in a written response to PTI.

The Ministry did not directly name the treaty, which Beijing often referred to during the Doklam standoff, stating that as it had defined the Sikkim section of the boundary with Tibet, the border in that area was settled.

Ms. Sitharaman on Friday visited Nathu La, and interacted with the Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police officials. Nathu La is the last post separating the border between Sikkim and Tibet.

Ms. Sitharaman’s trip was the first high-level visit to the area after the 73-day standoff at Dokalam that ended on August 28 following a mutual agreement.