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India Infringing Bhutan’s Sovereignty, Should Mend Its Mistakes: China

July 2, 2017 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau

Chandigarh: After a shoving incidence involving Indian and Chinese troops at Dong la (Donglang),  a region consisting a tri-junction border of India, China and Bhutan, is  subsequently followed by a warning from China in which it has stated that the future visits of its pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar through the Nathu La pass will depend on whether it will “correct its errors”.

Beijing also termed the construction of a road in the Sikkim sector of the Sino-India border as “legitimate”, asserting that it was being built on Chinese territory that neither belongs to India nor Bhutan and no other country had the right to interfere, reads a quote from report published in state controlled Chinese print.

“The Donglang area belonged to China since ancient times and it doesn’t belong to Bhutan,” Lu Kang official spokesman of Chinese foreign ministry reportedly said while interacting with the media.

“India wants to raise an issue with this part. I should say it doesn’t belong to Bhutan, nor it belongs to India. So we have complete legal basis for this. Chinese construction of the road project is legitimate and normal action on its territory. No other country has the right to interfere,” he further added while answering media question.

Dongla (Donglang) region a wedge that falls between Sikkim and Bhutan is located in the Chumbi valley and it was reported by an  English vernacular that the valley was given to Tibet by the British in 1908 in lieu of an indemnity of Rs 2.5 million (Rs 25 lakh), British Army officer Sir Francis Younghusband, under the guidance of his mentor Lord Nathaniel Curzon, Viceroy of India (1899-1905), invaded Tibet in 1904 and signed a treaty with Lhasa in September that year.

The British terms for handing over the Chumbi valley to Tibet (latter annexed by China in 1950) were more in line with their “forward policy” of those times and also in view of the key Tibet-Darjeeling trade route that had opened up after years of efforts, notes The Tribune (TT).

This raises the question as why India getting involved into a matter that as per the report is stated to resolved around a century ago that too with proper documented treaty.

Furthermore, Lu Kang purportedly said that the Bhutan is a universally recognised sovereign country. “Hope countries can respect the sovereignty of the country. The China-Bhutan boundary is not delineated, no third party should interfere in this matter and make irresponsible remarks or actions.”

“If any third party, out of hidden agenda, interferes it is disrespect of the sovereignty of Bhutan. We don’t want to see this as Bhutan is a country entitled to sovereignty by the international community.”

As reported by the media when asked about the progress in talks between India and China Lu Kang stated “the Indian troops crossed the boundary at the Sikkim side to the Chinese territory.”

Meanwhile, Chinese think tanks speculated that India stopped the road construction on behalf of Bhutan. Lu last night also had justified the move to construct a road in the Sikkim sector, saying that the area is “undoubtedly” located on its side of the border as per the 1890 Sino-British Treaty on Sikkim, reports Firstpost.

He has also linked the future prospects of pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar to India “withdrawing the troops” from the area.

 

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Related Topics: Indian Army, Indian State, Indo-China Relations, Sino-India Border Dispute

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