New Village in Bhutan claimed by China

New Village in Bhutan claimed by China

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – International Relations

In news

• Recently, Chinese media claimed that a new border village built by China near Bhutan was on Chinese territory.

Key takeaways

• The released images of the village show its location on territory disputed by Bhutan and China.
• The village of Pangda has been newly built and authorities in Yadong county (an administrative region) of Southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region have confirmed that 27 households with 124 people voluntarily moved from Shangdui village to Pangda village in September 2020.
• It is for the first time since 2017 that a Chinese residential area has been noticed near the Doklam region, which is strategically important for India.
• Bhutan has officially denied the presence of any Chinese village in its territory.
• According to China’s maps, the village is within China’s territory.
• China also blames India for the unsettled China-Bhutan border and stalled negotiations by creating the illusion that China is encroaching on Bhutanese territory.