NEW DEHLI / BEIJING — India and Bhutan are in a heated border dispute with China over an area known as the Doklam Plateau. <br /> <br />It is claimed by both China and Bhutan. Doklam holds strategic interest for all involved, and India backs Bhutan's claim. <br /> <br />Tension over the disputed region had always existed, but the situation escalated in June when the Chinese military began construction work on a road extension into the area. <br /> <br />India, at Bhutan's request, later intervened and sent soldiers and bulldozers to stop Chinese construction. All sides have been at a deadlock ever since. Doklam is near India's Siliguri Corridor, which is a narrow 12-mile wide area that connects the country to its northeastern regions. <br /> <br />In the event of conflict with India, completion of the Chinese road in Doklam would allow China to quickly mobilize troops there, and potentially sever it from neighboring areas.
