BEIJING: China today defended the presence of its troops in the Doklam area, over a month after the standoff with India ended, saying its soldiers are patrolling the region, also claimed by Bhutan, to exercise Beijing's sovereignty. "The Donglang (Doklam) area has always belonged to China and has been under the effective jurisdiction of China," the Chinese Foreign Ministry told PTI here in response to questions about a report that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is beefing up troops in the area. "There is no dispute. "The two sides are not in a physical face-off as we speak. "China hopes that other countries also respect Bhutan's sovereignty and independence and develop normal bilateral relations with Bhutan, at the same time also hopes it can help enhance the mutual trust between regional countries, safeguarding regional peace and stability," it said.

Source: Economic Times October 06, 2017 15:22 UTC