China aims to build motorable road towards Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction !

As tension escalates between Indian Army and Chinese People’s Liberation Army along the border in the tiny Himalayan state of Sikkim, sources have recently stated that China wants to build a 12-km-long motorable road till a tri-junction point near Doka La general area in Sikkim.

The genesis of the latest face-off is linked to Doka La (Donglang), a narrow but strategically important tri-junction of India (Sikkim), China (Tibet) and Bhutan. India and China share a 220-km-long border in Sikkim.

Highly-placed government sources said that the first reports of Chinese military raising objection came in on May 18.

Sources said that almost 150 of Chinese soldiers are in a face-off against an equal number of Indian troopers.

Indian authorities believe that the Chinese wants to move closer to the chicken’s neck in Siliguri by building the road closer to the Indian territory.

China has questioned Indian stake on the land in Sikkim. Bhutan is also expressing its willingness to deal with the issue and is standing with India.

Sources said that India is ready for resolution of the issue as per the satisfaction of all parties.

China has already lodged a protest with India over the alleged “crossing of boundary” by its troops in the Sikkim section and demanded their immediate withdrawal.

It had also linked future visits of pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar to India “withdrawing the troops” from the area.

China has accused Indian troops of “crossing the boundary” in the Sikkim section and demanded their immediate withdrawal, while asserting that it has shut down the Nathu La pass entry for Indian pilgrims travelling to Kailash Mansarovar because of the border standoff.

China also said that it has lodged diplomatic protests with India, both in New Delhi and Beijing, alleging that the Indian troops trespassed into Chinese territory in the Sikkim sector.

Chinese Defence Ministry Spokesman Ren Guoqiang said that recently China has begun the construction of a road in Donglang region, but was stopped by Indian troops crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC).