China has occupied Doklam for years: Chinese student attacks Beijing for misleading Chinese people

A Chinese law student based in Canada’s British Columbia province has debunked the official Chinese stand on Doklam, accusing the Communist Party leadership in Beijing of “withholding key information” on the matter from the Chinese people.

“China has occupied Doklam for years. Bhutan does not have the ability to reclaim the land. China and Bhutan have agreed via written agreements of 1988 and 1998 that both countries will maintain peace and the status quo in the region,” Shawn Zhang, a law student and a human rights advocate, said on social blogging site Quora.

The critical post has been upvoted more than 30 thousand times since July 28 when the post went up. The Quora profile of Shawn Zhang has 854 followers. Zhang’s Twitter profile has more than 12 thousand followers.

However, National Herald couldn’t independently verify the authenticity of either his Twitter or Quora profiles.

Zhang further accused the Chinese media of not revealing it in black and white as to where the Doklam border line was actually located. “Government never reveals the location. Government only shows a map sketch and tells Chinese that India invaded China,” the post read.

The law student further pointed out that in the absence of Google Maps and other similar apps, the Chinese people didn’t have any independent source to verify their government’s claims.

“Google Map(s) is blocked in China. There is no other map in China that can show the detailed border line between China, India, and Bhutan,” he said.

Google Maps, along with Google, Gmail and several other Google-related apps, has been banned in China since 2002 as part of the country’s strict censorship laws.

India and China have been locked in a face-off in the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector for the last 50 days after Indian troops stopped the Chinese People's Liberation Army from building a road in the area.

China claimed that it was constructing the road within its territory and has been demanding immediate pull-out of the Indian troops from Doklam. Bhutan says Doklam belongs to it but China claims sovereignty over the area. China also claims that Thimphu has no dispute with Beijing over Doklam.

The post reads:

Most Chinese don’t even know where Doklam is.

Google Map is blocked in China. There is no other map in China that can show the detailed border line between China, India, and Bhutan.

Media in China never mentioned where Doklam is and where the border line lies. Government never reveals the location. Government only shows a map sketch and tells Chinese that India invaded China.

Although I am a Chinese, I feel I am obligated to tell my fellow Chinese the truth: China entered the territory of Bhutan.

We can compare google map with most popular map service in China Baidu Map. There is no border line in Baidu Map.

China has occupied Doklam for years. Bhutan does not have the ability to reclaim the land. China and Bhutan have agreed via written agreements of 1988 and 1998 that both countries will maintain peace and the status quo in the region.

Now in recent months, China suddenly broke agreement and wants to build more roads and possibly prepares to occupy more land. So China is clearly the aggressor.

During this standoff, Chinese government withholds the key information and keeps stirring up nationalist sentiment in China. Chinese become angry towards India and clamor for war. This is very dangerous. Provoking war may be at the interest of Chinese Communist government. But war is never the interest of most ordinary Chinese people. This is why I write this answer. I hope Chinese could become more rational, reasonable and willing to seek truth. Only in this way, we can maintain peace with neighbours.

Below is the link to Zhang’s Quora post: