Does China want to harass India by claiming in Bhutan?
Just days after China protested China’s claims on Bhutan’s Sakateng Wildlife Sanctuary, China has annexed Bhutan’s eastern sector with a border dispute.
The border between Bhutan and China is not set and so far 24 times have been held between the two countries to resolve the border dispute. Among them, China had never raised the issue of this region.
In the border dispute with Bhutan, on the part of China claiming new areas, analysts see India as a step taken by targeting India.
At this time, there are mainly two countries, one India and one Bhutan, with which the border of China has not been fixed and there is a dispute about it for many years. China continues to have tensions along the Line of Control with India in which twenty Indian soldiers have recently died in violent clashes.
China has a border dispute with Bhutan on the west and east. Bhutan and China are in talks in a planned manner to resolve this dispute.
Former Indian Ambassador to Bhutan Pawan Verma believes that China’s latest border dispute with Bhutan may be an attempt to influence India’s strategic interests.
Pawan Verma says, “I think this is China’s way of putting pressure on Bhutan. China knows where its boundary with Bhutan will be fixed, especially towards the west of Bhutan, where between China-Bhutan and India A tri-junction is formed in India, where the boundary is set there, it will affect India’s strategic interests.
In 2017, China and India came face to face with Bhutan and there was a 75-day military standoff between the two countries. Even then, China tried to take control of Bhutan’s share.
Indra Pal Khosla, former ambassador of India to Bhutan, believes that China is currently in an expansionary mode and is making claims everywhere.
China is in expansionary mode, China has claimed a part of Bhutan which was not raised till now in the talks between the two countries. Bhutan and China have been negotiated 24 times on the border dispute and this area has never been discussed. China never raised the issue of this area during these years.
Recently, from Russia to Vladivostok has been claimed by China, it seems that China is now in such a situation when it is not paying attention to any agreement or mutual understanding or agreements in history. He is now in expansionary mode. “
Bhutan has issued a demarche to China opposing China’s claim on the Sakateng Sanctuary; Bhutan is generally not vocal about its border disputes and makes few comments. In such a situation, what is the reason for this political step of Bhutan?
Mihir Bhonsle, an analyst with the Observer Research Foundation, or ORAF, says Bhutan is feeling scared.
“In the area where Bhutan understands that it has ended the border dispute with China, China has raised a dispute. Bhutan does not usually speak much on border disputes. On one side of Bhutan is China and on the other side is India.”
“Usually Bhutan remains calm but when China questions Bhutan’s sanctuary, Bhutan has issued China’s demarche, which is a new thing. Usually Bhutan does not comment on border disputes. Bhutan has issued demarche which It simply means that Bhutan is feeling threatened. “
At the same time, Pawan Verma also believes that maybe China is airing border disputes to distract the attention of the people of the country from its internal conditions.
Says Verma, “In the era of China nowadays, I feel that in order to divert the attention of citizens from their internal problems, President Xi Jinping has thought to create an aggressive image of China, even if there is a South China Sea dispute, Whether there is aggression against Australia, whether there is a dispute with India and Bhutan in South Asia, it is shown that China is becoming the world’s most influential nation in the future. This is what this effort looks like. “
At the same time, Mihir Bhonsle believes that the objective of airing the border dispute with Bhutan may be to disturb India.
He says, “Bhutan is the only country in India’s neighborhood that has always been with India, while Bhutan does not even have diplomatic relations with China. China feels that it can stress India by upsetting Bhutan.” . “
“In Doklam too, we saw that China had claimed Bhutan land, after which tensions with India increased. It seems that China wants to give pain to India by bending Bhutan’s hand.”
Will the situation be like Doklam?
In 2017, when China had stepped up towards Bhutan, the Indian Army came in the middle. There was 75 days of military tension between India and China in Doklam. Can the latest dispute reach that position?
Pawan Verma says, “It is possible that this dispute reaches a situation like Doklam, but not necessarily so. It is a very close relationship between India and Bhutan. Bhutan does not even have diplomatic relations with China.”
“It will be the effort of China to put pressure on Bhutan to follow its footsteps and put pressure on India. But I do not think that will happen. But if there is more pressure on Bhutan, then India will have to stand with Bhutan. India needs Bhutan with China, we have to stand against China because Bhutan is a close friend of India. “
On this question, Mihir Bhonsle says, “If China’s border dispute with Bhutan escalates, then once again the stand of Doklam can be off. Doklam is a trifecta between India, China and Bhutan, apart from Saketeng sanctuary of Arunachal border. Very close there too A trisection area can be formed. Tension may increase here in future. “
China’s established strategy of using neighbors
Pawan Verma believes that at this time, China involved in border dispute with India is using India’s neighboring countries to pressure India.
He says, “India has to understand that it will be the constant effort of China to keep pressure on India. There should be relations with India but India should be kept under control because China understands that a democratic India, in which 130 crore people Yes, he can challenge China at some time. “
“Now to implement this, Nepal, Bhutan’s use, other neighboring countries of India, it is a well-known strategy of China, it has to understand India and reach to North China that India will thwart these efforts.”
At the same time, Mihir Bhonsle believes that China’s strategic decision may be to put pressure on Bhutan.
He says, “The dispute with Bhutan right now was not a big deal. Bhutan wanted to use the Global Environment Fund in Sakateng Sanctuary, which China opposed.” “This is a technical issue that China wants to use to pressurize India. It indicates that China is trying on every possible front against India.”
