India has warned and sensitised Bhutan over China translocating villages along the Amu Chu to re-align border claims in the disputed tri-junction area near the Doklam plateau. This has not deterred Beijing which is aiming to consolidate its border claims all along the 3488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India and the 477 km contested border with Bhutan.
According to experts on China, the plan to create model villages near the LAC and in contested territory with Bhutan and trans-locating populations besides rehabilitating ex-servicemen is part of Chinese Premier Xi Jinping’s pan to push Han Chinese rule in Tibet and to nip rebellion in the bud by Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism. China is implementing the same policy in its troubled Xinjiang province which is dominated by Sunni Muslims.
The recent satellite imagery of a Chinese Utopian village with cars and garden along the Amu Chu in contested territory with Bhutan and the spurt of border villages all along the LAC particularly in middle and eastern sector are all part of Fortress Tibet exercise of the Chinese Communist Party, reported the Hindustan Times
As India monitors Chinese plan unravel along its borders with the Communist Nation and on border with Bhutan, it is at the same time involved in negotiations with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to resolve the May 2020 misdemeanour by the Chinese troops without letting up on any of its land claims.
Even though there were news reports about the PLA willing to disengage from patrolling point 15 in Khugrang Nullah area of East Ladakh, fact is that the last senior military commanders meeting on July 17 saw firm negotiations from both sides on how to restore April 2020 status quo ante along the 1597 km LAC in East Ladakh, said a report by the Hindustan Times.
Although Beijing does not prioritise disengagement and de-escalation in East Ladakh, the Indian government is firm on the fact that bilateral ties can normalise only if the dispute over East Ladakh LAC is solved.
India wants PLA to allow Indian army patrols in Depsang Bulge area in DBO sector and Charding Nullah junction area in Demchok sector. The Indian side also wants Beijing honour the 1993 and 1996 bilateral border agreements.
