Page 626 - SSB Interview: The Complete Guide, Second Edition

3. The Doklam plateau, high up in the Himalayas, was a quiet grazing area
for Bhutanese herdsmen. The Indo-China conflict of 1962 and its

aftermath saw the narrow plateau at the tri-junction between India,

China and Bhutan assume significance. By virtue of this unique
location, the tri-junction assumes a strategic dimension for the three

countries. As part of its global power aspirations, China has been
enhancing infrastructure networks closer to the borders.

4. Doklam, by its peculiar disposition, heightens India’s vulnerability of

the 27-km-long Siliguri Corridor or ‘chicken’s neck’ that links the

northeastern states to the rest of India and any move in this sector alters
threat perceptions and intentions.

5. By the turn of the millennium, China built a road up the Sinchela pass
(in an undisputed territory) and then over the plateau (in disputed

territory), leading up to the Doka La pass, until reaching within 68
metres distance to the Indian post on the Sikkim border. Here, they

constructed a turn-around facilitating vehicles to turn back. It is the

southward extension of this road that has sparked the 2017 standoff.

The Dispute

6. The basic perceptional difference on the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction

is:

a. China perceives the tri-junction at Mount Gipmochi (Gyemo
Chen).

b. India and Bhutan are very clear that China is indicating a location

which is further south into Bhutanese sovereign territory and is thus

illegally claiming an additional 89 square kilometres.

c. A similar standoff more than 50 years ago in the same area, saw the
Indian government strongly protesting the intrusions.