A Chinese road building project in the Himalayas has become of the center of an escalating border dispute between India and China, with both sides accusing the other of territorial intrusions.
« The area in contention is extremely close to a very vulnerable stretch of Indian territory that effectively connects the bulk of India to its northeastern states, » Shashank Joshi, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London told CNN.
« Additional construction could skew the local balance of power in China’s favor, essentially leaving India more vulnerable to invasion in case of a military confrontation with Beijing. »
Tri-region issue
Objections were first raised by the Bhutanese government, which issued a demarche, or formal statement, accusing China of constructing a road « inside Bhutanese territory » in » direct violation » of its territorial treaty obligations, earlier last week.
India and Bhutan have maintained historically strong relations. Bhutan co-operates closely with India in determining its foreign policy, and the Indian Army is involved in the training of its armed forces.
China, which does not have formal diplomatic ties with Bhutan, has denied that it has violated any treaties.
« Doklam has been a part of China since ancient times. It does not belong to Bhutan, still less India, » said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang on Wednesday.
« China’s construction of road in Doklam is an act of sovereignty on its own territory.
