China pressurizing Bhutan to change stand on Doklam

The Chinese Communist Party is “heavily pressurising” Bhutan to alter its stance on the Doklam issue, a Delhi-based foreign policy think tank has revealed.

According to a statement by Red Lantern Analytica (RLA), “Bhutan, who even agreed to coordinate its foreign policy with that of India, under agreements like the Friendship Treaty, is now being heavily pressurised by the CCP to change its stand owing to which Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, recently made claims stating that ‘China has an equal stake in Doklam dispute’ as it is not up to Bhutan alone to solve the Doklam dispute and that all three countries – Bhutan, India and China are equal stakeholders.”

For the unversed, Doklam is a highly disputed area between India, China and Bhutan. The region made headlines in 2017 when China began extending its road south of Doklam by deploying construction vehicles and road-building equipment.

China claims the entire region of Doklam while India maintains the dignity of historical treaties.

According to the think tank, China has been toying with Bhutan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity for decades, sometimes by showing large parts of Bhutan as part of China on Chinese maps, sometimes by building heavy infrastructure in Bhutan’s territory, but mostly by trying to construct illegal sites in the disputed areas.

RLA suggests that despite Chinese pressures, Bhutan should stick to its stand and reciprocate with gusto which India has always shown in trying to resolve Bhutan’s conflicts with China.

The Doklam issue is a sensitive geopolitical issue of which Bhutan is an indispensable part; therefore, Prime Minister Lotay Tshering must take into consideration the interests of both India and Bhutan before caving into the whims and fancies of the CCP.