“It is not up to Bhutan alone to solve the problem,” Tshering has said in a recent interview with the Belgian Daily La Libre. “There are three of us. There is no big or small country. There are three equal countries, each counting for a third. A lot of information is circulating in the media about Chinese facilities in Bhutan. We are not making a deal about them because they are not in Bhutan. We have said it categorically, there is no intrusion as mentioned in the media. This is an international border and we know exactly what belongs to us. We are not experiencing major border problems with China, but some territories have not yet been demarcated. After one or two more meetings, we will probably be able to draw a dividing line,” he said.
India has not reacted to this interview but the statement would not be of comfort for New Delhi, ET has learnt. It has strong reservations on China extending its footprint in Doklam since the plateau lies close to the Siliguri corridor. The Indian Army has been closely watching the situation in Doklam and monitoring Chinese activities. China wants the tri-junction to be shifted south of Batang La. If that were to happen, the entire Doklam plateau would become part of China, a move detrimental to Indian security concerns and resisted by the country.
In January, Chinese and Bhutanese experts met in Kunming for holding future boundary negotiations. Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra visited Thimphu after the Kunming talks.
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