New satellite images reveal Chinese village in Doklam plateau: Report

Five years after the Indian and Chinese troops faced off at the Doklam plateau—an area surrounded by India, China and Bhutan—new satellite images have come to the fore indicating a Chinese village built nine kilometres east of the region on the Bhutanese side, according to local media reports.

In 2017, Chinese and Indian armed forces were locked in a stand-off at the Doklam tri-junction for 73 days after China tried to extend a road in the area that Bhutan claimed belonged to it.

According to NDTV, which has access to the satellite images released by Maxaar, the village has been named Pangda and is currently inhabited by cars parked at the doorstep of virtually every home.

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Near the village is a neatly marked all-weather carriageway, which is part of China's "extensive land grab" in Bhutan, the report said.

The new satellite images reveal that a second village in the Amo Chu river valley is now virtually complete while China has stepped up construction of a third village or habitation further South, the NDTV said in its report.

The new report comes at a time when the Indian Army has repeatedly flagged concerns of increased construction activity along the India-China border at the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh where the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been locked in an over two-year standoff with the Indian Army.

India considers the Doklam tri-junction an important strategic route from the point of view of its security interests. New Delhi had raised objection to the road construction at the tri-junction area as it would have impacted its interests.

The 2017 face-off had even triggered fears of a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Bhutan said the area belonged to it and India supported the Bhutanese claim.

The India-China face-off was resolved following several rounds of talks.

(With inputs from agencies)

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