Recently, Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering expressed hopes to settle the border dispute with China within “one or two meetings”. Interestingly, he also said that Bhutan is keenly watching how India and China would resolve their boundary dispute as he hoped to discuss the issue over the Doklam trijunction.
China-Bhutan Talks
- Bhutan PM’s remarks have raised concerns for India.
- It is feared that Bhutan will eventually cede parts of the Doklam plateau to China, threatening India’s strategic position in the region.
- “It is not up to Bhutan alone to solve the problem,” said Prime Minister Lotay Tshering in an interview with the Belgian Daily La Libre. ”There are three of us. There is no big or small country, there are three equal countries, each counting for a third.”
- This statement has raised concerns in India as it opposes China expanding its footprint in Doklam.
- India also wants to remind Bhutan that it is bound by treaty agreements to respect India’s security concerns.
Bhutan-China Border Dispute
- Bhutan and China have border disputes at the northern and western front.
- Disputed areas on the northern front include Jakarlung and Pasamlung Valleys, while on the western front lies the 270 square km long Doklam, another disputed area between the two countries.
- China claims that some of the territories currently part of Bhutan actually belong to it. These territories are located in the strategically important Bhutan-India-China trijunction.
- These territories are Pasamlung and Jakarlung valleys, Doklam, Dramana, and Shakhatoe, Yak Chu and Charithang Chu, and Sinchulungpa and Langmarpo valleys.
- China has been engaged with Bhutan to settle border disputes since 1984.
- In 2021, Bhutan and China signed an MoU to expedite negotiations and solve the border disputes.
- China has often used carrots and sticks to resolve border disputes with Bhutan
Doklam Stand-off
- In 2017, soldiers of the Indian Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) faced off against each other at Doklam.
- China began to construct a road in the direction of Mount Gipmochi and adjoining hill areas around Doklam.
- Indian troops entered the Doklam plateau to stop China from extending a road which was clearly marked as a -construction zone until the dispute is settled.
Also Read | India-China Relations: Key Issues
Strategic Importance Of Tri-junction Point
- Doklam lies in Bhutan’s western border region, overlooking parts of India.
- Doklam is at the trijunction between India, China and Bhutan.
- For decades, that trijunction point, as reflected in international maps, lies at a spot called Batang La.
- China’s Chumbi Valley lies to the North of Batang La, Bhutan lies to the South and East and India (Sikkim), to the West.
- China wants that tri-junction to be shifted approximately 7 km south of Batang La to a peak called Mount Gipmochi.
- If this happens, China will control the entire Doklam plateau. Any attempt of China to shift the location of the tri-junction South will not be acceptable to India.
- The trijunction lies very close to India’s Siliguri Corridor, also known as Chicken’s neck.
- Siliguri corridor separates India’s Northeastern states from the rest of the country.
- If Doklam becomes a part of China, it will allow the country to control Chumbi Valley and transport war machinery to the border with India.
Also Read | China’s Encirclement Policy And India’s Concerns
Challenges For India
- China considers border dispute with Bhutan as a bilateral issue, hence unwilling to make India as a party.
- Bhutan lacks the material capability and presence to avert China’s continuing intrusion into its border.
- Bhutan also seems reluctant to seek India’s military help, fearing it will antagonise China.
- Another challenge for India is the fact that China’s proposed border solution with Bhutan also includes a demand to have diplomatic relations with Bhutan.
- China has attempted to woo Bhutan, especially with offers of assistance and people-to-people contacts. In April 2022, China also helped Bhutan by providing medical supplies to fight COVID-19.
- However, China has recently intensified its pressure tactics on the small Himalayan state.
- People from mainland China have been brought in and settled in disputed areas and grazing lands.
- It has also been reported that China has built infrastructure well within Bhutanese territories.
- These infrastructure include well-connected roads, permanent settlements and bridges as well as military and police outposts.
- China’s aim is to coerce Bhutan into submission so that it can cede disputed territories to China. If this happens, China will gain a strategic advantage against India in the region.
Key Points To Remember
- Bhutan is landlocked between India and China.
- Bhutan signed the treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with India in 1949. This treaty binds the country with special relations.
- Bhutan doesn’t have any diplomatic relations with China. It only maintains a neutral relationship with the country.
- According to the Sikkim-Tibet boundary treaty of 1890, Mount Gipmochi was identified as an area which divides the Tibet and Sikkim territories. In 1906, Britain handed over the Chumbi valley to Tibet. The Chumbi valley touches the north of the Doklam plateau at Batang La.