EDITORIAL: Doklam fears return – Telangana Today

In a U-turn that sounded alarm bells in India, Bhutan PM claims China has equal say in resolving Doklam dispute

Hyderabad: The ghosts of the past seem to be back to haunt Indian diplomacy. Concerns over the Doklam Plateau, the strategic triple junction of India, Bhutan and China, have resurfaced nearly three years after the region witnessed a military standoff between New Delhi and Beijing. Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering’s assertion that China has an equal say in resolving the Doklam dispute set off alarm bells in India. This is a worrying development for India, which is totally opposed to China’s expanding footprint in Doklam because of the high altitude plateau’s proximity to the sensitive Siliguri corridor, which connects India’s northeastern states with the rest of the country. Narrow land separated. China aims to move the three-fork southward, which would make the entire Doklam plateau legally part of China, but India rejects the move. Tsering’s statement in an interview with the media runs counter to his 2019 stance that existing triangular junctions should not be unilaterally disrupted. The shift suggests China is ramping up pressure on Bhutan to make progress on the border dispute. In January, China and Bhutan agreed to speed up negotiations in this regard. In recent years, China has also stepped up efforts to establish diplomatic relations with Bhutan. Wooing Thimphu is part of Beijing’s strategy to wrest the initiative from New Delhi, both militarily and diplomatically. There are concerns that Bhutan may cede some of its territory to China.

Beijing’s hegemonic ambitions have created several hotspots in the region. During the two-month military standoff at Doklam in 2017, India showed maturity and decisiveness in securing a return to the status quo despite China’s provocative overtures. The development also demonstrates New Delhi’s commitment to protecting Bhutan’s territorial and security interests under bilateral security agreements. The dispute erupted when Chinese troops entered the Doklam Plateau and started building roads. If unhindered, this would give them significant strategic and territorial advantages and change the status quo in disputed areas, with serious security consequences for India. Separating Bhutan from India is part of China’s long-term strategy to ensure unquestioned dominance in Asia. It already has a vise-like grip on Pakistan as its ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) network project threatens to turn it into a client state. Even more puzzling, Tsering denied reports that the Chinese were building villages on Bhutanese soil. It is clear that he does not want to anger China, although his stance may have an impact on India-Bhutan relations. India’s harvest is to actively resolve the border dispute with China and prevent the latter’s expansionist moves. The two countries even disagree on the length of the Line of Actual Control.