Pangda

Pangda (庞达村) is a village just east of the Doklam plateau and approximately 10 km east of the India-Bhutan-China trijunction. The village was constructed by China in 2020 along the Torsa River.

Pangda
庞达
Village
Doklam area
Doklam area
Pangda is located in Bhutan
Pangda
Pangda
Location of Pangda in Bhutan
Coordinates: 27°18′25.1994″N 89°0′28.7994″E
CountryUnknown
Elevation
2,140 m (7,020 ft)
Population
 • Estimate 
(2020)
124

Media reports in November 2020 said that the village was constructed approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) within Bhutanese territory without Bhutan's consent based on third-party satellite images.[1][2][3][4] This was later denied by Bhutan and China.[2][3][4]

History

Background
Main article: 2017 China–India border standoff

In 2017, Indian and Chinese forces skirmished along the Doklam plateau after Chinese attempts to extend a road across the Doka La stream and towards an Indian border post.[5] After several injuries on both sides, India and China withdrew their forces on 18 August to previously held positions, effectively ending the standoff.[6] Despite the de-escalation, satellite imagery shows that China continued to develop and reinforce the disputed region along the border.[2]

Pangda village

Satellite images on 28 October 2020 show the village on the banks of the Torsa River. Chinese state media claims that the residents of the new village had moved there as early as September from Shangdui village in Yadong county.[3]

In November 2020, media reports said that the village was constructed approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) within Bhutanese territory without Bhutan's consent based on third-party open source maps.[1][2][3][4] The reports were denied by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Bhutanese, and the Bhutanese ambassador to India, who said that "there is no Chinese village inside Bhutan."[2][3][4] Following the denial of Pangda's encroachment of the Bhutanese border, Chinese media portrayed the accusations as an attempt by India to sow discord between Bhutan and China and drive a wedge between the two nations.[7]

New construction took place in the village following its initial construction. This primarily consisted of a cluster of 38 new buildings north of the primary settlement and was completed in November 2021.[8] The village was classified as xiaokang, or moderately well-off, according to official Chinese statements.[9]

Geography

Pangda village was constructed directly on the banks of the Torsa River, 10 km south of any other Chinese settlement in the region.[10] It appears to have been constructed on a sandbank, and is located in a river valley in the Eastern Himalayas. There is one road that leads out of the village, and a small retaining wall was constructed to keep floodwaters out of the village.[2]

Demographics

According to Chinese state media, there are 27 households in the village and a total of 124 people.[3] There are two administrative buildings in the village, and the villagers are reported to be primarily employed in tourism, fishing, and border patrol.[4]

Map
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References
  1. "China Sets Up Village Within Bhutan, 9 Km From Doklam Face-Off Site". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  2. James Griffiths and Manveena Suri. "Satellite images appear to show China developing area along disputed border with India and Bhutan". CNN. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  3. Krishnan, Ananth (2020-11-23). "China's media show new Bhutan border village built in disputed territory". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  4. Zhen, Liu; Purohit, Kunal (6 December 2020). "Near the China-Bhutan-India border, a new village is drawing attention to old disputes". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  5. Shaurya Karanbir Gurung (3 July 2017), "Behind China's Sikkim aggression, a plan to isolate Northeast from rest of India", Economic Times, archived from the original on 24 August 2017
  6. India, China agree to pull back troops to resolve tense border dispute Archived 29 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine, The Washington Post, 28 August 2017
  7. Seidel, Jamie (25 November 2020). "Photo reveals village that shouldn't exist: Chinese village built on disputed territory in Bhutan". news.com.au.
  8. "Sneak peek into new Chinese villages near Bhutan border". India Today. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  9. "China encroaches into Bhutanese territory, may have similar plans in other neighbouring countries: Reports". ANI News. 20 December 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  10. "Why so much interest in new village near the China-Bhutan-India border?". South China Morning Post. 2020-12-06. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
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