NEW DELHI: Bhutan has issued a demarche to China over its attempt to declare a Bhutanese wildlife sanctuary along their border as a disputed territory.
The demarche was a follow-up to protests earlier against Beijing’s attempt to make a non-dispute into a quarrel, Indian media reported.
At the 58th Global Environment Facility Council held recently, the Chinese member raised objections to the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary project and argued that it was in a disputed area between China and Bhutan, Economic Times reported.
Sakteng lies in a zone of Bhutan that borders Arunachal Pradesh and China. At the meeting, Bhutan strongly objected to the references made by China against its sovereignty.
The Chinese claim coincided with the People’s Liberation Army’s belligerence along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh and elsewhere in the South China Sea and East China Sea.
India is keeping a close watch on China’s recent claim of the Bhutanese territory, the report said.
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