According to a recent study by a Delhi-based organization, China has been mocking Bhutan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity for decades by depicting substantial portions of Bhutan as being in its territory and sometimes by erecting massive facilities there. Red Lantern Analytica claims that the majority of these unlawful sites have been attempted to be built in the disputed territories.
The article emphasized the Doklam plateau problem by stating that China is claiming ownership of the whole plateau. India, in contrast, has continued to honor old accords. In accordance with accords like the Friendship Treaty, Bhutan promised to coordinate its foreign policy with India.
Bhutan is now under pressure from China to reverse course. Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering recently said that “China has an equal stake in the Doklam dispute” since Bhutan cannot resolve the conflict on its own and that Bhutan, India, and China are all equal stakeholders.
According to the article, China is attempting to move the contentious tri-junction southward, which would formally annexe the whole Doklam plateau, which is near to India’s vital Siliguri Corridor.
When it comes to stopping China’s expanding encroachment on Bhutan’s territory, Bhutan may appear to have few options. However, it is crucial for Bhutan to avoid being seduced by the CCP’s cheesy rhetoric and take a pacifist stance, as doing so may have the exact opposite effect, according to Red Lantern Analytica.
Asia has recently fallen under the brutal ‘Debt Trap Diplomacy’ of the CCP, with Pakistan—the ostensible “all-weather friend” of China—Sri Lanka, Mongolia, and even Nepal serving as prominent instances. China used all of these nations as tools for its own economic exploitation, making them dependent on China and ultimately denying them access to their own infrastructure and natural resources.
According to the study, Bhutan should be careful not to fall for China’s questionable assertions and should return the zeal with which India has always pursued diplomatic solutions to Bhutan’s disputes with China.