copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-04-26): Bhutan is one of the two countries with which China is yet to resolve its land border dispute. The other country is India, which has a long-running disagreement over its Himalayan frontier with China. [...] Bhutan and China have disputes over territory in the north and in the west in the Himalayas. [...] He also expressed hope that Bhutan and China will be able to demarcate some of its boundaries in a meeting or two. The two countries have been holding border negotiations since 1984. Mr Tshering also said that there was no Chinese intrusion of its territory.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-09-10): - Official maps showed parts of Bhutanese territory as part of China. - Moreover, during its annexation of Tibet, China briefly occupied eight Bhutanese enclaves in western Bhutan. Chinese incursions into Bhutanese territory have continued, as has China’s building of roads in disputed areas. [...] - Until recently, the Sino-Bhutanese border dispute involved territory in the western and central sectors only. Beijing claimed 764 square kilometers of Bhutanese territory: 495 sq km in the Jakurlung and Pasamlung Valleys in north-central Bhutan and another 269 sq km in western Bhutan.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-06): The 1959 Tibetan Rebellion and the 14th Dalai Lama's arrival in neighbouring India made the security of Bhutan's border with China a necessity for Bhutan. An estimated 6,000 Tibetans fled to Bhutan and were granted asylum, although Bhutan subsequently closed its border to China, fearing more refugees to come.[5][11] In July 1959, along with the occupation of Tibet, the Chinese People's Liberation Army occupied several Bhutanese exclaves in western Tibet which were under Bhutanese administration for more than 300 years and had been given to Bhutan by Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century.[8] These included Darchen, Labrang Monastery, Gartok and several smaller monasteries and villages near Mount Kailas.[12][13][14][15] [...] - ^ "Ladakhi and Bhutanese Enclaves in Tibet" (PDF). John Bray. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-23): Bhutan-China relations refer to the international relationship between the Kingdom of Bhutan and the People's Republic of China. As of present, Bhutan and China do not share an official diplomatic relationship with one another.[1] [...] Bhutan's border with Tibet has never been officially demarcated. The territorial claim was maintained by the People's Republic of China after the Chinese Communist Party took control of mainland China in the Chinese Civil War.[citation needed] With the increase in soldiers on the Chinese side of the Sino-Bhutanese border after the 17-point agreement between the Tibetan government and the central government of the PRC, Bhutan withdrew its representative from Lhasa.[9][10][11][verification needed] [...] Boundary issues [edit]With the entry of the People's Liberation Army into Tibet, some Tibetan settlements in western Tibet, formerly controlled by the Bhutanese government, came under the control of the People's Republic of China. While some sources believe that the Bhutan-China border was settled in a secret agreement during 1961, neither country has ever publicly acknowledged such an agreement.[18] In the 1980s, Bhutan relinquished its claim to a 154-square-mile area called Kula Khari on its northern border with China.[7] In 1998, the two countries signed a peace and tranquility agreement, although border disputes remain.[18] A 2002 official statement by the King of Bhutan to the National Assembly, specifies that there are still four disputed areas between Bhutan and China.[19]
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-05-02): The Sino-Bhutanese border dispute goes back several decades. China lays claim to around 495 square kilometers in northcentral Bhutan and 269 sq km in western Bhutan. Since 2020, it has claimed another 740 sq km of territory in the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Bhutan. The territory claimed in western Bhutan includes the Doklam Plateau, which is of strategic significance to India. There is mounting evidence, backed by satellite images, that China is engaging in building infrastructure inside Bhutanese territory. However, in an interview with the Belgian daily La Libre, Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said in March 2023 that "no intrusion as reported in the media" has happened into Bhutanese territory. That raised concern in India that Tshering is perhaps paving the way for Bhutan to cede territory to China to settle its border, which would weaken India’s security. Medha Bisht, associate professor at the South Asian University in New Delhi, who is an expert on Bhutan and multistakeholder negotiations and dialogues, shared her insights on the complexities of the Sino-Bhutanese territorial dispute with The Diplomat’s South Asia editor, Sudha Ramachandran. Bisht draws attention to the different principles that guide India and China in demarcating boundaries. In the context of the China-Bhutan border at the trijunction, China wants Mount Gipmochi to determine where the border runs, but India and Bhutan want the boundary line to run from Batangla to Merugla and Sinchula, which would shift the China-Bhutan border at the trijunction farther north.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-05-07): Apart from wandering ascetics, seasonal nomads, and a handful of refugees from Tibet in the late 1950s, the Beyul has been uninhabited for centuries. At an average altitude of 12,000 feet, until now it has had no buildings, roads, or settlements apart from two small temples abandoned decades ago, stone huts for shepherds, and perhaps three basic shelters or campsites used by Bhutanese frontier troops. Entering the Beyul from Tibet, now part of China, involves a journey across passes the height of Mont Blanc; few other than mountaineers would normally attempt it. The second enclave now being settled by China in northern Bhutan is even higher: The Menchuma Valley, 1.2 miles to the east of the Beyul and 19 square miles in size, is at an altitude of 14,700 feet at its lowest point, apart from one ravine. Like the Beyul, it lies inside the Kurtoe subdistrict of Lhuntse and until now has never had settlements, roads, or buildings.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-11-18): The People’s Republic of China has maritime or land border disputes with many of its neighbors: Brunei, Bhutan, India, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Bhutan shares over 400 kilometer-long border with China. Recently, Bhutan and China signed a MoU "for expediting the Bhutan-China Boundary" negotiations. It is believed that the roadmap had been finalized during the 10th expert group meeting in Kunming in April 2021. The roadmap might include setting up a framework first, confirming the specific disputes with an exchange of maps, and then a resolution stage. [...] Earlier negotiations had dealt with territories in Bhutan’s north and west, including Pasamlung and Jakarlung valleys in the north and Doklam to the west. China may offer a package solution that would see Beijing controlling Doklam and ceding the northern valleys. The inclusion of Sakteng into the dispute was seen by some observers as a negotiating tactic to bring Bhutan back to the table. Since the 2017 stand-off with India, Beijing has already strengthened its de facto control over much of the Doklam plateau, located strategically along the Bhutan-China-India tri-junction. Aside from the face-off site – where India had objected to a road being built that would push the tri-junction point further south – China has deepened its presence elsewhere on much of the plateau and faced little opposition from Bhutan in doing so. Chinese media even showed images of a newly built village in Doklam, in the disputed territory between Bhutan and China, the part of a broader effort in building "front line" border villages and moving in residents to secure territorial claims.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-04-20): The Sino-Bhutanese border dispute involves 764 square kilometers (sq km) of territory. Beijing claims 495 sq km of territory in the Jakurlung and Pasamlung Valleys in north-central Bhutan and another 269 sq km in western Bhutan, comprising the Doklam Plateau (Bhutan News Service, January 1, 2013). Doklam Plateau abuts Chumbi Valley, which like the Tawang salient that adjoins Bhutan’s eastern border has enormous strategic significance for China, Bhutan as well as India. India’s defense of its northeast would be undermined should Bhutan cede control over it to China. [...] With British influence in Bhutan growing in the latter half of the 19th century, China began asserting its suzerainty over the Himalayan kingdom, intervening in its affairs and even sending its troops to emphasize its claims there. [3] In 1910, China laid claim to Bhutan along with Nepal and Sikkim and in 1930, Mao Zedong named Bhutan and Nepal, among other countries, as falling within the "the correct boundaries of China." The People’s Republic of China asserted its claims over Bhutan even more aggressively. Maps in official publications showed parts of Bhutan as Chinese territory. During its annexation of Tibet, China occupied eight Bhutanese enclaves in western Bhutan. Such actions "scare[d] the small state of Bhutan." [4]
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-02): Bhutan [edit]Bhutan has long had strong cultural, historical, religious and economic connections to Tibet. Bhutan's border with Tibet has never been officially recognized, much less demarcated. The Republic of China based in Taiwan officially maintains a territorial claim on parts of Bhutan to this day.[4] The territorial claim was maintained by the People's Republic of China after the Chinese Communist Party took control of mainland China in the Chinese Civil War.[4][5][6] The 1959 Tibetan Rebellion and the 14th Dalai Lama's arrival in neighboring India made the security of Bhutan's border with China a necessity for Bhutan.[4][7] An estimated 6,000 Tibetans fled to Bhutan and were granted asylum, although Bhutan subsequently closed its border to China, fearing more refugees to come.[4][7] In July 1959, along with the occupation of Tibet, the Chinese People's Liberation Army occupied several Bhutanese exclaves in western Tibet which were under Bhutanese administration for more than 300 years and had been given to Bhutan by Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century.[8] These included Darchen, Labrang Monastery, Gartok and several smaller monasteries and villages near Mount Kailas.[9][10][11][12] [...] - ^ "Ladakhi and Bhutanese Enclaves in Tibet" (PDF). John Bray. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-02-05): - The PRC’s claims over Bhutanese territory have expanded over the years, including recent large-scale construction in disputed valleys, which contradicts the 1998 agreement to maintain the status quo, challenging Bhutanese sovereignty and raising strategic concerns for India. [...] The PRC also tends to see Bhutan to some extent as a part of its own territory. In 1930, for instance, Mao Zedong claimed that Bhutan fell under "the correct boundaries of China." Official maps of the PRC released in 1954 and 1958 reflected Beijing’s expanding territorial claims in Bhutan, and in 1959, amid its annexation of Tibet, the pRC occupied eight Bhutanese enclaves in western Bhutan. [4] The bloody suppression of the Tibetan uprising and the flight of the 14th Dalai Lama and his followers left a deep impression on the Bhutanese. Accounts of Chinese atrocities on Tibetans who fled to Bhutan convinced them that the Chinese were "out to destroy Buddhism and Buddhists" (China Brief, April 20, 2017). Even the PRC’s most recent standard national map includes disputed Bhutanese territories as its own (People’s Daily App, August 28, 2023).
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-07): Bhutan’s northern and western boundary with the Tibet Autonomous Region (part of China), although undefined, generally follows the crest of the Great Himalayas. In the Duars Plain to the south of the Himalayan range lies Bhutan’s boundary with the Indian states of West Bengal and Assam. Bhutan borders the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the east and Sikkim to the southwest. [...] Bhutan’s mountainous territory is dissected by numerous rivers. The main rivers from west to east are the Torsa (Amo), Wong (Raidak), Sankosh (Mo), and Manas. All the rivers flow southward from the Great Himalayas and join the Brahmaputra River in India.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-07-06): In July 1959, along with the occupation of Tibet, the Chinese PLA occupied several Bhutanese enclaves in western Tibet which were under Bhutanese administration for more than 300 years and had been given to Bhutan by a Ladakhi King Singye Namgya in the 17th century. These included Darchen, Labrang Monastery, Gartok, and several smaller monasteries and villages near Mount Kailas. A Chinese map published in 1961 showed China claiming territories in Bhutan, Nepal and the Kingdom of Sikkim (now a state of India). Incursions by Chinese soldiers and Tibetan herdsmen also provoked tensions in Bhutan. Imposing a cross-border trade embargo and closing the border, Bhutan established extensive military ties with India. During the 1962 Sino-Indian war, Bhutanese authorities permitted Indian troop movements through Bhutanese territory. However, India’s defeat in the war raised concerns about India’s ability to defend Bhutan. Consequently, while building its ties with India, Bhutan officially established a policy of neutrality. According to official statements by the Kind of Bhutan to the National Assembly, there are four disputed areas between Bhutan and China.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2018-02-16): Clearly, the Bhutanese enclaves of Darchen-Labrang in Tibet also met with the same fate under Nehru’s instructions. [...] With regards to Bhutan, the 1961 Report of the Governments of India and the People’s Republic of China on the Boundary Question (Part 3),published by the Ministry of External Affairs states the following: [...] Although in its 1959 Notes India had sought the restoration of Bhutan’s rightful authority over Bhutanese enclaves in Tibet, it surprisingly did not mention its own sovereign claim over Menser. This, despite the Official Report issued later in 1961 providing a full account of India’s historical, administrative and revenue rights over five villages near Kailash-Manasarovar. The Report also provided a full record of the Maharaja’s jurisdiction on Menser, which was one of the 110 villages that fell under Ladakh Tehsil. The Report is backed by documents including the J&K Revenue Assessment Report of 1902 and Settlement Report of 1908, Census Reports from 1901 to 1937, and Revenue records from 1901 to 1948, among others.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-13): We had earlier too, in our statement dated April 15, 2023 (Link) warned of Bhutan being heavily pressurised by China and the latest PRC attempts establish the same. On one hand the PRC is trying to appease Bhutan by showing interest in upscaling bilateral relations and the willingness to solve border disputes but on the other hand they are trying to sinicise the Bhutanese landscape. Even after formally signing an agreement with Bhutan in 1998 to not alter the status quo in disputed areas, the PRC violated the agreement by occupying and settling in the Jakarlung Valley. The main reason for the CCP to do this is the vicinity of Jakarlung vtalley to the Amu Chu River Valley which lies adjacent to the Doklam plateau. By coming close to this territory the PRC wants to increase its presence near the Siliguri Corridor that connects India’s Northeast Region with the rest of the country. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has already been attempting to unilaterally change the status quo of the Indo-Tibet border and any Chinese expansion in Bhutan means gaining them advantage in its ‘salami slicing’ strategy and moving forward step by step to reach India. Although Bhutan might not have the required capacity to retaliate, India has reacted strongly to the illegal Chinese activities. Red Lantern Analytica stands with Bhutan and condemns the PRC for its attempts to indulge in unsanctioned building activities in the Bhutanese territory. We will also urge the International community to come forward to ensure a rule based world order where aggressors like the PRC are made accountable for their acts.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-07-23): Until recently, the Sino-Bhutanese border dispute involved territory in the western and central sectors only. Beijing claimed 764 square kilometers of Bhutanese territory: 495 sq km in the Jakurlung and Pasamlung Valleys in north-central Bhutan and another 269 sq km in western Bhutan. [...] China’s claims over Bhutanese territory are indirect, stemming from its claims over Tibet. When the Qing dynasty extended Chinese rule over Tibet in the 18th century, the Tibetan ruler Polhane, who apparently held suzerainty over Bhutan, passed this on to Tibet’s Chinese overlord. China bases its territorial claims in Bhutan on the latter’s vassalage to Tibet. [...] China began asserting its claims over Bhutan with increasing vigor in the late 19th century to counter growing British influence there. In 1930, Mao Zedong claimed that Bhutan (among other Himalayan kingdoms) fell within the "the correct boundaries of China." The People’s Republic of China was even more aggressive in asserting such claims; official maps showed parts of Bhutanese territory as part of China. Moreover, during its annexation of Tibet, China briefly occupied eight Bhutanese enclaves in western Bhutan. Chinese incursions into Bhutanese territory have continued, as has China’s building of roads in disputed areas. This despite the fact that under Clause 3 of the 1998 Treaty to Maintain Peace and Tranquility on the Bhutan-China border areas, the two sides agreed to maintain the status quo on the border areas.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-04-28): The developments in the 1950s in relation to Bhutan and China are recounted in Penjore (2004), Kumar (2010), and Bisht (2012). In almost all these texts, Chinese policy is described as ‘carrots and sticks’, the carrots being assurance of independence and economic assistance, and the sticks being border claims or encroachments. Following a border incursion by China in September 1979, Bhutan and China border talks commenced in 1984 (the preliminary talks began in 1981) and a peace agreement was signed between the two sides in 1998 (after Chinese activities in the disputed areas in 1996) that contained a Chinese acknowledgement of Bhutanese sovereignty with the text that ‘China fully respects the territorial integrity and independence of Bhutan’. There was also an agreement to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas, and pending final settlement, to maintain a status-quo on the boundary as before March 1959. [...] There was a boundary realignment between Bhutan and China in 2007; Bhutan revised its total area from 47000 sq kms to 38394 sq kms (see Phuntsho, 2013). This does not conform with observations drawn from post-Soviet landlocked states where ceding territory in order to maintain cooperative relationships with transit states is an exceptional feature of the foreign policy of such states (see Idan and Shaffer, 2011), since China is not a transit state for Bhutan.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of People's Republic of China (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-07-18): Days before enacting its Land Border Law, the PRC agreed to a "three-step roadmap" with Bhutan to expedite negotiations to resolve the festering dispute over their 477-kilometer boundary. The PRC claims parts of Bhutan and has never officially recognized, nor even demarcated, Bhutan’s border with Tibet, which China annexed in 1951. In November 2020, the PRC built a village 2 kilometers inside Bhutan and just 9 kilometers from the site of the India-China standoff in Doklam. The confrontation was triggered by the PRC’s attempt to extend a road in an area claimed by Bhutan, which has had a Treaty of Perpetual Peace and Friendship with India since 1949, a pact renewed in 2007. About 60,000 Indian nationals live in Bhutan, with an additional 8,000 to 10,000 visiting the country of about 780,000 daily from border towns to work. India fears that the PRC’s intrusions are an indicator of what it views as "salami slicing," whereby Beijing seeks to scythe through Indian and Bhutanese territory with the intent of redrawing the LAC.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-09): Bhutan[a] officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,[b][14] is a landlocked country in South Asia situated in the Eastern Himalayas between China in the north and India in the south. With a population of over 727,145[15] and a territory of 38,394 square kilometres (14,824 sq mi), Bhutan ranks 133rd in land area and 160th in population. Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy with a king (Druk Gyalpo) as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of government. The Je Khenpo is the head of the state religion, Vajrayana Buddhism. [...] - ^ Choudhury, A.U. (1990). "Primates in Bhutan". Oryx. 24 (3): 125. doi:10.1017/S0030605300033834. [...] - ^ a b "The Bhutan insurgencies". Public Radio International. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-04-20): The Sino-Bhutanese border dispute involves 764 square kilometers (sq km) of territory. Beijing claims 495 sq km of territory in the Jakurlung and Pasamlung Valleys in north-central Bhutan and another 269 sq km in western Bhutan, comprising the Doklam Plateau (Bhutan News Service, January 1, 2013). Doklam Plateau abuts Chumbi Valley, which like the Tawang salient that adjoins Bhutan’s eastern border has enormous strategic significance for China, Bhutan as well as India. India’s defense of its northeast would be undermined should Bhutan cede control over it to China. [...] With British influence in Bhutan growing in the latter half of the 19th century, China began asserting its suzerainty over the Himalayan kingdom, intervening in its affairs and even sending its troops to emphasize its claims there. [3] In 1910, China laid claim to Bhutan along with Nepal and Sikkim and in 1930, Mao Zedong named Bhutan and Nepal, among other countries, as falling within the "the correct boundaries of China." The People’s Republic of China asserted its claims over Bhutan even more aggressively. Maps in official publications showed parts of Bhutan as Chinese territory. During its annexation of Tibet, China occupied eight Bhutanese enclaves in western Bhutan. Such actions "scare[d] the small state of Bhutan." [4]