India Keeps Close Watch As Bhutan's Foreign Minister Makes First Official Visit To China Amid Boundary Deal Progress

Bhutan and China recently convened their 25th round of boundary talks, marking the first such meeting since 2016. This important event coincided with Bhutan's Foreign Minister, Tandi Dorji, visiting his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing.

Both sides expressed their desire to reach an agreement on demarcating their boundaries "soon." It's worth noting that this visit was the first official trip by a Bhutanese Foreign Minister to China, and the resumption of the long-pending 25th round of talks suggests substantial progress by the expert groups from both nations.

The discussions on boundary matters were led by Dr Dorji and Sun Weidong, China's Vice Foreign Minister. They signed a "Cooperation Agreement" outlining the operation of a Joint Technical Team (JTT) responsible for the "Delimitation and Demarcation of the Bhutan-China Boundary."

This agreement had been reached in August of the same year, as stated in a joint press release issued in Beijing and Thimphu. Dr Dorji was accompanied by Bhutan's Ambassador to India, Major General (Retd) V Namgyel, and Bhutan's Foreign Secretary, Pema Choden, The Hindu reported.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry's statement following Dr Dorji's meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister also noted Wang's hope for both countries to establish diplomatic relations. Bhutan had refrained from this in the past, primarily because it lacks diplomatic ties with any of the UN Security Council's Permanent Member (P-5) countries.

Foreign Minister Wang, a Politburo member and Director of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Foreign Affairs Commission, emphasised, "The conclusion of boundary negotiations and the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Bhutan fully serve the long-term and fundamental interests of the country and nation of Bhutan," as per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) statement.

While India has been closely monitoring these talks, particularly in terms of its security interests, the Ministry of External Affairs did not comment on the Bhutanese Foreign Minister's visit to China. Although the Bhutanese MFA did not issue any separate statement on the meetings, the Chinese MFA's statement confirmed that Dr Dorji and Wang were in agreement on the boundary issue.

In a prior interview with The Hindu, Bhutan's Prime Minister, Dr Lotay Tshering, had mentioned that the two countries were moving closer to completing a three-step roadmap for boundary delineation.

This roadmap includes agreeing to the border's demarcation through talks, conducting on-site inspections along the demarcated line, and eventually formalizing the boundary. Dr. Tshering had stated, "We hope to see a line being drawn — this side Bhutan and that side China. We don’t have that right now."

Regarding Bhutan's stance on establishing diplomatic relations with China, Dr Tshering remained non-committal, emphasising the need to determine the "when" and "how."

During his visit, Dr. Dorji also met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, who expressed China's willingness to enhance exchanges across various domains, including the economy, trade, culture, and tourism. Both sides expressed a strong determination and sincere desire to promptly demarcate their boundaries and establish diplomatic relations.

In the past, Bhutan and China held 24 rounds of boundary talks between 1984 and 2016, complemented by a dozen rounds of expert group meetings that shaped the three-step roadmap. Earlier in the year, they initiated their first boundary delimitation talks via a joint technical team, underscoring their commitment to concluding the process.

Indian experts have raised concerns that any agreement between Beijing and Thimphu that involves a "swap arrangement" of areas to the north with Doklam to the west could affect India's interests. This is particularly relevant given the proximity to India's narrow "Siliguri corridor," which connects the northeastern states to the rest of India.

It's essential to note that India and China had a standoff in Doklam near the India-China-Bhutan trijunction in 2017, and border tensions have remained high since 2020 when Chinese troops crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Nonetheless, Bhutan's Prime Minister, Dr Tshering, and Foreign Minister, Dr Dorji, have asserted in interviews that no agreement will be made against India's interests. They also clarified that discussions about the "trijunction" at Doklam would only occur trilaterally, involving India, Bhutan, and China.