ISAS Insights

The efforts by Chinese troops to construct a road in the Doklam plateau region in Bhutan in midJune 2017 resulted in a confrontation with the Royal Bhutan Army. Soon after, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs reported that, in coordination with the Bhutanese government, it approached and urged the Chinese troops to desist from changing the status quo. While China claims ownership of the region and has asserted that it has the right to carry out the construction, India has countered that the action is in violation of agreements with Bhutan on the boundary. Both China and India have refused to budge from their positions and they have remained in a stand-off since then. In the interest of the long-term stability of India-China ties, both sides have a shared interest in striving to find a diplomatic solution to the Doklam crisis. The impending visit of Mr Ajit Doval, India's National Security Advisor, to Beijing for a BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) meeting has deep significance in this critical juncture.