Doklam Pass lessons: How little Bhutan faced down China over border dispute

The maturity displayed by the Bhutanese government in its dignified handling of the Doklam incident is well appreciated

In one of the less reported stories of the summer, India and China came to a stand-off over a plateau in the Himalayas called the Doklam Pass.

This small strip of land separating the Indian state of Sikkim from its neighbour Bhutan is one of several areas disputed by China and Bhutan. After the Chinese started building a road on the controversial territory in June, India, with its own interests at stake and as Bhutan’s former representative on external relations, stepped up to engage with China.

Border disputes between Bhutan and China have