New Delhi: As Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay is scheduled to arrive here on Thursday (March 14) afternoon, the accelerated border talks between Bhutan and China looms over the Bhutan-India relationship.
Timphu has rejected an Indian proposal to construct a motorable road through the Himalayan kingdom connecting two of India’s north-eastern states, citing concerns that it could undermine the country’s ongoing discussions with China.
On Wednesday, the foreign ministries of India and Bhutan announced Tobgay’s visit, which will be from March 14 to 18. This will be his first overseas visit after winning a second term in the general elections in January.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the visit would “provide an opportunity to the two sides to review the progress in our unique partnership and to discuss ways and means to expand the enduring ties of friendship and cooperation between India and Bhutan”.
The Bhutanese foreign ministry claimed that the visit would “further strengthen the close ties of friendship and cooperation that exists between the two countries”.
The Wire has learnt that India had proposed to connect Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh to Guwahati in Assam with a motorable road through Bhutan.
Map showing Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and Guwahati in Assam. Image: Google Maps
This proposed route, significantly shorter than existing ones in India, is intended to enhance strategic connectivity in the region.
The Indian army had offered to build the connecting road from Bletting in Tawang to Doksum in Bhutan’s Tashiyantse district.
However, it is understood that Bhutan’s government is not keen on the proposal until its border with China is demarcated.
The total disputed area between Bhutan and China encompasses around 764 square kilometres divided between the two countries’ western and northern borders.
China also made an additional surprising claim on the Sakteng wildlife sanctuary in 2020.
After direct bilateral border talks began in 1984, Bhutan and China have held 25 rounds of boundary talks and 13 rounds of meetings at the expert level.
In 1997, China proposed a ‘package deal’ offering to relinquish claims on Bhutan’s central areas in exchange for territory in its western part, including Doklam.
Bhutan, reportedly pressured by India, declined the offer due to concerns over China’s proximity to the narrow Siliguri corridor.
Indian soldiers, acting on behalf of Bhutan, confronted Chinese troops constructing a road in Bhutan’s Doklam region near the tri-junction of the three countries’ boundaries in June 2017.
After a 73-day standoff, both Indian and Chinese troops withdrew, but subsequent satellite imagery has revealed Chinese construction of a network of military infrastructure in the region.
Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been notable momentum in Bhutan towards the finalisation of its border negotiations with China.
According to informed observers, Thimpu’s proactive stance is driven by the acknowledgment that China’s ‘salami slicing’ tactics along the border cannot be effectively halted due to Bhutan’s lack of resources.
In October 2021, Bhutan and China signed a memorandum of understanding to expedite boundary talks with a “three stage roadmap”. After the delimitation of the border on maps, it envisages joint surveys for demarcating the border.
At the 25th round of boundary talks in October last year, the two sides agreed on the guidelines of the joint technical team that would delimit and demarcate the boundary.
At a meeting with Bhutan’s foreign minister, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said that Beijing was ready to conclude the process “as soon as possible”.
Bhutan’s reluctance to authorise the Indian military road until the border with China is conclusively settled suggests that Thimphu is equally eager to conclude the matter without jeopardising the ongoing boundary negotiations.
