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NATION                                                                         MAY 28, 2021  |    The Indian Eye                          8





                   China’s growing footprint in




            the region is a new concern and





                                       headache for India






              Beijing has reportedly built an entire town, replete with roads and office buildings,

            inside Bhutan; China eyeing more influence in Afghanistan as US prepares to leave





        Our Bureau
        New Delhi

               he Indian Army on Sun-
               day clarified that no “face-
        Toff” had taken place be-
        tween the armies of India and
        China in the first week of May.
        In a statement, the Army said
        that the media report in question
        published on Sunday had been
        taken note of, and the article
        seemed to be inspired by sources
        “trying to derail the ongoing pro-
        cess of early resolution of issues
        in the region”.
            It further requested media
        professionals to clarify ‘actual
        versions/positions’ on incidents
        from authorized sources in the
        Army and not base reports on
        ‘un-corroborated inputs from
        third parties’.                       Indian Army chief MM Naravane on a two-day visit to review the operational readiness along the Northern Bor-
            But few can deny that China      ders of Arunachal Pardesh and security situation in the hinterland of NorthEast in Dimapur on Friday. (ANI Photo)
        is  becoming  a big problem for
        India in the region. China has  der, which lies uninhabited and  links to India and Beijing doesn’t           by China before. Sakteng does
        been gradually and stealthily in- sports wild terrain.                   even have an embassy in Bhutan.      not even border China, reported
        vading its tiny neighbor Bhutan         With  a  population  of  just        Called Gyalaphug, or Jielu-      news.com.au.
        for  years  now,  reveals  new  re- 800,000 compared to China’s  obu in Chinese, an administra-                   On the other side, as the US
        search findings.                     1.4 billion, “there is little Bhu- tion block at its center features     continues to withdraw its troops
            A paper published by journal  tan can do” but watch as Beijing  a hammer and sickle. A nearby             from Afghanistan, several voices
        Foreign Policy stated that China  takes large gulps of its territory,  banner proclaims “Resolutely           in Washington, including some
        has built an entire town, replete  the research paper states. “This  uphold the core position of Gen-         from  the  Biden  administration,
        with roads, a power plant, two  involves a strategy that is more  eral Secretary Xi Jinping!”                 expressed concern over ‘serious
        CPC buildings, a communica- provocative than anything Chi-                   It’s estimated several hun-      consequences’ for the region af-
        tions base, military and police  na has done on its land borders  dred people, and even more yaks,            ter the  Americans leave, espe-
        outposts and a warehouse, al- in the past,” wrote Robert Bar- could now live in Gyalaphug.                    cially from China filing a power
        most 8 kilometers into Bhutan,  nett in Foreign Policy earlier this  That number is boosted by a ro-          vacuum created by a ‘strategic
        reported the Australian news,  month.                                    tation of construction workers,      retrograde’  from  the  war-torn
        site news.com.au. In early April,       The largely Buddhist Bhuta- party cadres, police and soldiers.        nation.
        the Chinese welcomed a delega- nese have much in common with                 Also, Bhutan is adamant that         “It is clear that there is a num-
        tion of international visitors to  the people of Tibet which now  the dispute in the country’s east,          ber of different countries around
        the city of Kunming in Yunnan  lies within China. But diplomat- where Beijing now claims land in              the region that do have interests
        province, which discussed Chi- ically and economically, the gov- the Sakteng wildlife reserve, is a           and that have the potential to
        na’s mountainous southern bor- ernment in Thimphu has closer  new one. It’s never been raised                    Continued on next page... >>


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