Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar to brief parliamentary panel on China standoff

NEW DELHI: Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will brief a parliamentary committee tomorrow on the issue of the Sino-India standoff at the border tri-junction with Bhutan, a panel member said.

The member, who did not wish to be named, said the foreign secretary along with other senior officials will brief the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.

The panel, of which Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is a member, is chaired by party MP Shashi Tharoor.

There has been tension in the area for the past three weeks after a Chinese Army construction party attempted to build a road there. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

Last week, a meeting was called by the government to brief opposition parties on the issue.

The government had told opposition leaders that China is constructing roads near the international border, hampering the country's strategic interests. It said National Security Advisor Ajit Doval would put forward New Delhi's position before his Chinese counterparts later this month.

The meeting was attended by Jaishankar and Doval.