Bhutan rejects Beijing's claim that Doklam is under Chinese territory

The Bhutanese government on Thursday rejected China’s claim that Bhutan had conveyed had conveyed through diplomatic channels to China that Doklam in not in its territory, news agency ANI reported.

"Our position on the border issue of Doklam is very clear. Please refer to our statement which has been published on the web site of Bhutan's foreign ministry on June 29, 2017." ANI quoted official sources in the Bhutanese government as saying.

The sources said Bhutan has conveyed to China that construction of the road in Bhutanese territory is a direct violation of the 1988 and 1998 agreements.

"Bhutan has conveyed to the Chinese side, both on the ground and through the diplomatic channel, that the construction of the (motorable) road inside Bhutanese territory is a direct violation of the (written) agreements (of 1988 and 1998) and affects the process of demarcating the boundary between our two countries," Bhutan’s official statement reads. 

Also read: Indian army in 'no war, no peace' mode against China

Wang Wenli, Deputy Director General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs in China's foreign ministry, told a visiting Indian media delegation on Wednesday that Bhutan has conveyed to Beijing through the diplomatic channels that the area of the stand-off is not its territory.

"After the incident, the Bhutanese made it very clear to us that the place where the trespassing happened is not Bhutan's territory," Wang was quoted, as saying.

"Bhutanese find it very strange that the Indian border troops are on the Chinese soil," she further said.