The Dalai Lama said, India and China have to live side-by-side and peace is the only way forward
The India-China standoff at Doklam in the Sikkim sector is "not a very serious" issue, the Dalai Lama said today, stressing that the two countries have to live side by side.
The Tibetan spiritual leader said there are times when the two neighbouring countries use "harsh words", but the spirit of
"Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai" is the only way forward.
When asked about the standoff between the two countries in Dokla, The Dalai Lama said, "I do not think it is very serious. India and China have to live side by side." He went on to say that "propaganda makes things complicated".
"Even in 1962, Chinese forces which reached Bomdilla, eventually withdrew. India and China have to live side by side," he said while speaking at the Rajendra Mathur Memorial Lecture organised by the Editors Guild of India.
India and China have been locked in a face-off in the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector for more than 50 days after Indian troops stopped the Chinese Army from illegally constructing a road in the disputed area.
China has claimed that it was constructing the road within its territory and has been demanding the immediate withdrawal of Indian troops from the disputed Doklam plateau. Bhutan says Doklam belongs to it, and China has entered the area illegally.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had recently said both sides should first pull back their troops for any talks to take place, favouring a peaceful resolution of the border standoff.