Even as border talks continue between China and Bhutan, the communist country is reportedly doubling down on building villages in the disputed territory.
According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the Tibet autonomous region pushed the expansion of border villages in the mountainous region in the second half of 2023. In December, the first batch of 38 households was settled here from the Tibetan city of Shigatse.
At least three such villages have expanded over the last year, shows satellite imagery captured by US-based Maxar Technologies. One of the villages was modified to accommodate 230 households, up from 70 homes at the end of 2022.
According to officials quoted by SCMP, these villagers were developed under China’s state-led poverty alleviation scheme but also doubled as “citadels” to boost national security.
According to a 2023 funding report, the Tamalung village was developed with a funding of $3.6 million, with money being spent on developing new houses, building two bridges, paving roads and reinforcing the bank of a stream.
Bhutan’s response
Bhutan has shied away from calling out Chinese incursion. SCMP reported that Thimphu was downplaying the controversy.
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However, it said Bhutan’s closest strategic partner and the other Asian giant India was paying close attention to the developments in the disputed area of around 495 sq km (191 square miles).
China using villages as a tool for national security
Setting up villages on disputed borders has long been a Chinese policy to assert dominance and control. According to People’s Daily, a mouthpiece of the communist government, China had established more than 620 such “border moderate prosperity villages” by the end of 2021.
Local officials quoted by SCMP admitted these villages helped the government serve two purposes simultaneously—providing the best housing facilities to residents and defending the borders.
Both central government and provincial governments fund such projects, with some state-backed corporations also playing a key role.
Residents are offered incentives
The report said residents are often offered incentives to settle in these remote villages.
Last year, Tibet authorities offered up to 12,800 yuan (US$1,780) as an incentive to residents in other parts of the region to resettle in the border area, SCMP reported.
Village leaders and immigration police are often seen parading with Chinese flags and spraying words and images like “China” or the Chinese national flag on stones and tree trunks.
(With inputs from agencies)
