China has pointed to an 1890 treaty between Sikkim and Tibet - which India largely affirms to mark much of the India-China border in Sikkim - to bolster its claims to the Doklam Plateau at the tri-junction. Beijing claims around 89 sq km of the Doklam Plateau south of where India sees the China-Bhutan border. It is here that China is constructing a road, which triggered opposition from the Royal Bhutan Army and also India, which worries that this will bring China even closer in the sensitive Chumbi valley. China believes its claims are on solid ground according to the 1890 Sikkim-Tibet Convention, which explains its unusually frequent public statements reaffirming its stand in recent days. It seems Beijing is making the argument that there was no dispute in this area to begin with, which is going to make it all the more challenging to arrive at an amicable resolution to the stand-off.

Source: India Today July 02, 2017 03:45 UTC