New Delhi, March 25 -- China's gradual expansion of territorial claims, infrastructure development, and village construction in Bhutan represents a shift in the strategic geography of the Eastern Himalayas. The Doklam Plateau, located at the India-Bhutan-China trijunction, remains a critical geostrategic linchpin due to its proximity to the Siliguri Corridor, the only land-based link between mainland India and its Northeastern region.

The 2017 Doklam standoff ended in mutual disengagement. However, satellite imagery indicates that China has incrementally continued its territorial expansion in Bhutan over the past nine years. It has also engaged economically and culturally with Bhutan and has pushed for the settlement of border disputes i...