Doklam Standoff Implications for India, China and Bhutan

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Doklam is a tri junction between India, China and Bhutan. The crisis started in the mid of June, when India called off China for constructing a road in the disputed territory towards Doklam region, which was also opposed by Bhutan's Royal Army. India also sided with Bhutan, calling that plateau temitory Bhutan's sovereign property, in retaliation of which soon there was a standoff between the Indian and Chinese troops, with both of them sending reinforcements at the border area. Doklam region is a disputed territory located in the Chumbi valley at a tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China. China claims ownership of Doklam region, strategically important for India, China and Bhutan. The Doklam standoff followed years of Chinese encroachment into countries in India's backyard." The China-India clash over regional geo-economics is now affecting Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, which have sought more balanced relations with both India and China. At the heart of China's regional policy is the objective of maintaining stability for its own domestic security and sustainable economic development. But India maintains the upper hand for now: In terms of foreign direct investment, in most of South Asia, India has invested significantly more than China. Both India and China will continue, however, to protect their gains and consolidate their influence as their financial and political commitments across the region grow, leading to continued tensions. This book Doklam standoff to signify the magnanimity and gravity of the current crisis. At the end, the author recommends that Assertive Diplomacy at the Regional level for instance, India-ASEAN is the way ahead for India to counter China's belligerent expansionist policy of One China.

The Current Doklam crisis between India and China could be perceived as a Geopolitical theatre between India and China, embodying severe security implications on India, and a threat to Eurasian stability.

Whatever the logic for Doklam, that confrontation has exacerbated Thimphu's concerns about getting sucked into a Sino-Indian conflict. Bhutanese elites, and increasingly the public, believe they should settle their border with China, not tack a settlement onto India's more intractable dispute. Beijing has offered Thimphu a strategic swap, in which China would concede to Bhutan disputed territory in the north, in exchange for Doklam. New Delhi, however, firmly discourages conceding Doklam to China.

India has discouraged Bhutan from opening diplomatic relations with other countries, particularly China, encouraging it instead to conduct diplomatic relations through its embassy in New Delhi. But now, with China outpacing India economically and militarily and showing its power through incidents like Doklam, Bhutan's old elites and new, populist politicians increasingly worry about having hitched their wagon to the wrong horse. There is also a popular aspiration across Bhutan to emerge from India's shadow and assert sovereignty more tangibly. New Delhi has not handled this aspiration with sophistication and sensitivity.

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