Chinese village ‘Pangda’ on October 28, 2020 compared to construction on December 8, 2019. High resolution: here and here
New Delhi:
High-resolution satellite images accessed by NDTV indicate that in addition to establishing a village more than two kilometers within the territory of Bhutan on the eastern periphery of the disputed Doklam plateau, China has built a road on it. an area that extends approximately 9 kilometers within the territory of Bhutan. .
It is believed that this road could finally give Chinese forces an alternative route to the Zompelri ridge, which the Indian army had prevented Chinese forces from accessing in 2017 when the two sides clashed on the Doklam plateau.
Map showing the extent of Chinese construction in the Doklam area. Copyright: Maxar Technologies 2020. Click here for a high resolution image.
On that occasion, Chinese construction workers had attempted to access the ridge by extending its existing runway near the Indian army post at Doka La, which is on the border between Sikkim and Dokala.
Indian army soldiers had physically blocked Chinese road construction workers claiming that access to the Zompelri mountain range (which lies further south) was unacceptable as it would allow Chinese forces to have a clear view of the ” Chicken’s Neck “vulnerable strip of land. linking northeastern India with the rest of the country.
Map showing the border region between China and Bhutan. Construction activity in the village of Pangda. Copyright: Maxar Technologies 2020. Click here for a high resolution image
Now, three years later, Chinese construction workers, working on a different axis, have built a new road along the banks of the Torsa River, which runs south from the China-Bhutan border.
This is less than 10 km from the site of the 2017 clash between Indian and Chinese forces, which lasted more than two months and was only resolved when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Xinping of China met in Wuhan in April. of 2018, where they agreed. on the easing of tensions.
“The Chinese have left intact the site of the 2017 clash, which is in a corner of Doklam,” says strategic affairs expert Dr. Brahma Chellaney. “But step by step, they have changed the status. quo in the rest of Doklam, including by building permanent structures and roads and even establishing villages on a plateau that was uninhabited until three years ago. ”
Clear evidence of Chinese road and village construction on the eastern periphery of the Doklam Plateau emerged on Thursday when Shen Shiwei, a senior producer at CGTN, China’s state-sponsored media, showed multiple images of a village with several cottages along a river. .
He tweeted: “Now, we have permanent residents living in the newly established Pangda village. It is along the valley, 35 km south of Yadong country. Here’s a map to show the location. ”
Click here for a high-resolution image of Shen Shiwei’s tweet
The new images shown in this report are from Maxar, which provides some of the most comprehensive satellite images commercially available. According to Maxar, “Clearly there has been significant construction activity this year along the Torsa river valley area with extensive road construction activity underway, as well as new military storage bunkers being built in China near the Doklam area “.
The main image in this report contradicts a statement by Bhutan’s ambassador to New Delhi, Major General Vetsop Namgyel.
In a statement to NDTV on November 19, Major General Namgyel said: “There is no Chinese village inside Bhutan.”
When asked if Bhutan and China had reached any understanding on the realignment of the border in the disputed area, the ambassador said he “does not comment on border issues.” However, he confirmed that Bhutan and China were involved in border talks.
Bhutan and China have been involved in border disputes for decades. According to Tenzing Lamsang, editor of The Bhutanese, ” Bhutan and China recognize the 269 square kilometers in the west and the 495 square kilometers in north-central Bhutan as [being] disputed and thus, although there are maximalist claim lines on both sides, there is still no mutually accepted international border. “
However, what seems clear is that Beijing’s policy, which General Bipin Rawat, now Chief of Defense Staff, referred to in 2017 as “slicing salami”, remains a reality, not just in Ladakh eastern, but also in Doklam and other parts of China. Indian limit too.
Road construction along the Torsa River, Bhutan. Copyright: Maxar Technologies 2020. Click here for a high resolution image
Contrary to rhetoric in 2017 that India forced China to “ withdraw ” from the Doklam standoff site, the new footage seems to indicate that Beijing’s determination to conduct polls in the disputed area continues without regard for sentiments. of New Dehi and Thimpu.
For the Indian military, any Chinese push south is bound to raise red flags, as Chinese forces will potentially have a clear line of sight to sensitive areas on the “chicken neck” for the first time.
“It is time for India to criticize China about its expansionism in Doklam by pointing out how it is invading the territories of one of the smallest countries in the world,” says Brahma Chellaney. “As the de facto guarantor of Bhutan’s security, India cannot turn a blind eye to China’s aggressive activities in Doklam,” he added.
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