Is Bhutan A ‘Disputed Area’?

Sandwiched between China and India, the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan is feeling the squeeze as its giant neighbors square up for supremacy.

A close ally of India, Bhutan got a shock when China made sudden new claims in the summer – over a wildlife sanctuary in the east of the country, on land that had not been considered disputed. Amid border tension with India, China has once again staked claim over the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters that the boundary between China and Bhutan is yet to be demarcated.

The Naked Expansionism of China Over Bhutanese Territory Sakteng Is  Foolhardy - BW Businessworld

This has evoked a strong reaction from Bhutan which sent a strong note to China’s representative handling Bhutan. The note said, “Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary is an integral and sovereign territory of Bhutan.”

Interestingly, this wildlife sanctuary has never been a part of any global funding. It is also for the first time that it has come up as a project at the international platform, which China grabbed as an opportunity to lay claim to the land. Meanwhile, the Chinese move is being watched carefully by India since the area is close to Tawang, the main town in Arunachal Pradesh’s Kameng sector. China, as is well known, describes the entire Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet and claims ownership.

Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the easternmost part of the country in Trashigang Dzongkhag, Eastern Bhutan. It encompasses a total area of 740.60 square kilometers covering almost three fourth of Merak and Sakteng gewogs under Trashigang Dzongkhag and part of Lauri geog under Samdrupjonkhar Dzongkhag.

Why Bhutan's Sakteng wildlife sanctuary is disputed by China - BBC News

The Sanctuary is situated in the remotest part of the country where only limited developmental programs have been implemented in the two gewogs so far. Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) is a national park in the far eastern region of Bhutan, bordering the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

The sanctuary is adorned with a diverse ecosystem ranging from warm broadleaf forests to alpine meadows.