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BHUTAN
Three-dimensional Chess at the Top of the World
Only around 300 feet separate angry Chinese and Indian soldiers on the Doklam plateau, where the border of Bhutan, China and India meet.

The two sides have hunkered down into a dangerous stalemate after the Indian army heeded a Bhutanese request to stop Chinese troops from building a road that Bhutanese officials feared would violate border agreements.

In a so-called “flag meeting,” Chinese and Indian military brass conveyed messages to each other. China wants the Indian soldiers off land claimed by Beijing. But the Indians won’t leave unless the Chinese also remove their construction equipment from the area. Neither side bent. So now they expect to stay through the winter.

“Since this flag meeting hasn’t resulted in a resolution of the conflict at Doklam, it appears to be a long-drawn affair,” S. L. Narasimhan, a defense analyst and ex-Indian army officer, told Bloomberg.

The conflict pits the world’s two most-populous countries against each other as well as the largest democracy against the largest economy by purchasing power parity – a standard that accounts for price differences, as explained by the World Economic Forum.

India lost a war with China that stemmed from a Himalayan border dispute in the 1960s and India’s army is still smaller and less well-equipped than China’s, so Indian leaders are justifiably cautious, especially since economic ties between the two countries have increased in recent years.

But nonetheless, it seems New Delhi is not only prepared, but also has little choice but to stand up to China.

“India’s decision to move more troops closer to India-China border in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh is guided by the ground realities of the northeast,” wrote India Today over the weekend. “Doklam plateau is not very far from the Silliguri Corridor – also referred to as the Chicken Neck – that connects the northeastern states with the rest of India.”

The standoff reflects Beijing’s new aggressiveness, a stance exemplified by China flexing its muscles in the South China Sea and frequent incursions into disputed territories in what India considers part of the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Chinese aggression in the region is also probably a play to shore up its hold on Tibet, whose leader, the Dalai Lama, now lives in exile in India. Bhutan is a Buddhist kingdom, by the way.

“China has been trying to dominate the Himalayan region because it believes unless it does, it will not be able to retain firm control over Tibet,” said Brahma Chellaney, a strategic studies professor at the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research, in an interview with the Financial Times. “The big obstacle it still faces is Bhutan. Driving a wedge between Bhutan and India is clearly a Chinese strategy.”

It’s a game of three-dimensional chess that adds yet another hotspot to the world, this time at the top.

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