China has once again asserted its claim to the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary adjoining India in Bhutan. China has said that its border with Bhutan is still to be determined. Not only this, but Chinese Dragon has also offered Bhutan a 'package solution' to resolve the issue of the border dispute. Meanwhile, Bhutan has once again rejected China's claim.
In a shocking move amid ongoing tensions with India, China has described the landing of Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan as 'disputed' at the 58th meeting of the Global Environment Facility Council. There was also an attempt to 'oppose' the funding of the project. When asked questions about China's claims in Bhutan, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that the border between the two countries was yet to be determined.
Wang said, "China's always clear and consistent. The border between China and Bhutan has not been determined and there is a dispute in the Central, Eastern and Western sections. Therefore, China supports the proposal of package resolution to resolve this dispute. China opposes making these disputes an issue in multilateral forums and China remains in contact with the parties concerned on this issue. '
Asked if China was making a new claim in the border dispute with Bhutan, Wang said, "I have already clarified China's position." The border between China and Bhutan has not been determined and there is a dispute in the Central, Eastern and Western sections. Meanwhile, the Embassy of Bhutan in New Delhi has sent an objection letter to the Chinese Embassy on the issue of Sakteng.
Bhutan has objected to China's claim that the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary is an integral and sovereign part of Bhutan. The interesting thing about this whole controversy is that this wildlife sanctuary has never been a part of any global funding. When it first came to giving money to this sanctuary, China seized the opportunity and staked its claim on the land.
The council has given its approval to the project despite China's opposition. There is no diplomatic relationship between China and Bhutan and officials of the two countries visit each other from time to time. The two sides have held 24 rounds of talks so far to resolve the border dispute. However, this has not been resolved yet.
