danger on doklam
There are ongoing boundary disputes between Bhutan and China over several areas in the west and north, which are several decades old. Doklam is among the many disputed areas that lie between India, Bhutan and China. Both Bhutan and China claim this place while India has always been supportive of Bhutan’s position. According to experts, India has many reasons to support Bhutan. Doklam is very important for India in terms of security and strategy.
Any kind of pressure from China in this area can pose a threat to the Siliguri Corridor, which is known as Chicken’s Neck. This 22 kilometer long corridor serves to connect India with its north-eastern states. Recently, Prime Minister of Bhutan, Lotay Tshering, in a conversation with Liegeum’s newspaper Libre Belgique, has refused to accept that China has built 10 new villages in its border.
lost interest in Doklam
The Bhutanese PM also expressed hope that Bhutan and China would be able to demarcate some of their borders in a meeting or two. The two countries have been holding border talks since 1984. His comments raised concerns in India. Many experts have expressed concern over the prospect of any agreement involving the tri-junction with Bhutan and China.
If some experts are to be believed, Bhutan is not pushing its claims on Doklam. In a conversation with BBC, former senior Indian diplomat and expert on Himalayan affairs P Stobdan said, ‘India is worried that China is trying to harass it. There is pressure on Bhutan to decide the border. He said that it is clear that Bhutan wants to resolve its differences at the earliest.
PM gave clarification
After the comments of PM Lotay Tshering, when there was an uproar in the media of India, he clarified it. He said that he has not said anything new and there has been no change in Bhutan’s stand. According to Liu Zhongyi, senior fellow at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, China and Bhutan were close to reaching a final agreement around 1996, but failed due to India’s interference. Bhutan-China border issues are also linked to the decades-old India-China border tension. Experts like Bhutan’s Wangcha Sangay feel that if there is no push from India, then their country may enter into a border settlement with China.