Countdown to Indo-China military conflict has begun; New Delhi should come to senses: Chinese daily

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Wednesday said the ongoing Doklam standoff was not very serious.

Beijing: In the wake of an Army face-off and chill in ties with India over Doklam stand-off, Chinese media on Wednesday said the countdown to a military conflict between India and China has begun.

An editorial in the state-run China Daily read, “The countdown to a clash between the two forces has begun, and the clock is ticking away the time to what seems to be an inevitable conclusion.”

New Delhi should come to senses and withdraw troops from Doklam before it's too late, the article further said.

Earlier, China had warned India not to underestimate the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and had asked Indian troops to pull back from the Doklam area.

"Shaking a mountain is easy but shaking the PLA is hard," ministry spokesman Wu Qian had told a briefing, adding that its ability to defend China`s territory and sovereignty had "constantly strengthened".

New Delhi and Beijing have been engaged in the standoff in the Doklam area near the Bhutan tri-junction since June after a Chinese Army's construction party attempted to build a road. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while the 'Dragon' claims it as part of its Donglang region.

India has said Beijing's action to "unilaterally determine tri-junction points" violated a 2012 India-China pact which says the boundary would be decided by consulting all the concerned parties.

India has proposed to China to simultaneously pull back from Doklam, which India and Bhutan say belongs to Thimpu. Beijing has refused.