Behind China’s wild claims to Bhutan Sanctuary bordering India, a Doklam link
By introducing a new territory in the border dispute between Bhutan and China, the latter appears to be making a renewed push to make the former cede the strategically located Doklam and its adjoining areas.The freshly minted Chinese claims on the Sakteng sanctuary, close to Bhutan’s eastern border with Arunachal Pradesh were made in June.Doklam can be traced back to a 73-day standoff between Indian and Chinese troops after Indian troops stopped the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from constructing a motorable road close to the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction.The road towards Jampheri Ridge would have enabled the Chinese to overlook the vulnerable Siliguri corridor or the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ area that connects the Indian mainland with its north-eastern states.Since 1984, 24 rounds of boundary