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Army chief dials Bhutanese counterpart amid talks of Chinese activity beyond its borders

A new official policy paper states that China is enhancing its efforts to develop the infrastructure in remote villages located along Tibet's border with India, Bhutan and Nepal.

Army chief dials Bhutanese counterpart amid talks of Chinese activity-VPN
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New Delhi, First Published May 25, 2021, 7:41 AM IST

In the backdrop of reports that China has created a village inside Bhutan's territory, Indian Army Chief Gen MM Naravane had a telephonic conversation with his Bhutanese counterpart Batoo Tshering.

During the phone calls, the two army chiefs discussed the bilateral defence ties. 

In a tweet, the Indian Army said, "General MM Naravane #COAS had telephonic interaction with Lt Gen Batoo Tshering, #ChiefOperationsOfficer of the Royal Bhutan Army #RBA and discussed issues of bilateral defence cooperation."

On Friday, the Chinese State Council Information Office released a new policy paper on Tibet Autonomous Region which states that by the end of 2020, many border villages in the remote province were better connected to highways and all villages in such areas had access to mobile communication.

The paper said that China is enhancing its efforts to develop the infrastructure in remote villages located along Tibet's border with India, Bhutan and Nepal.

The paper titled 'Tibet Since 1951: Liberation, Development and Prosperity' says that the development of border areas and improvement of people's lives in Tibet has become important as the strategic Himalayan region shares a 4,000-km long external borderline.

India and China share a 3,488-km-long border on the Line of Actual Control, of which 1,126 km is located in Arunachal Pradesh. Beijing claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet, which India has firmly rejected.

China also shares an over 477-km-long border with Bhutan, which is yet to be delineated, and a 1,389-km border with Nepal.

In 2017, Indian Army soldiers had engaged in a standoff with Chinese troops in Doka La plateau -- a tri-junction between India, Bhutan and China -- after Beijing brought in building equipment to construct a road there. The standoff had lasted for 73 days.

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