JOIN USChina is piling up pressure on Bhutan over its territorial dispute with that country. In early June, Beijing had raised claims over the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Bhutan, an area that has never figured in the territorial dispute and in the 24 rounds of negotiations between the two countries since the early 1980s. On Tuesday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) not only reiterated claims over Sakteng but it also revived a territorial swap plan it had offered Bhutan in 1996.
The message it has sent to Thimphu is pretty apparent: Accept the territorial exchange offer and settle the border dispute with China or face mounting Chinese demands on Bhutanese territory. Under the 1996 proposal, China offered to recognise Bhutan’s sovereignty over 495 sq km of territory in the Jakurlung and Pasamlung Valleys in north-central Bhutan in return for Thimphu ceding control over 269 sq km, including the Doklam Plateau, in western Bhutan.
Bhutan did not accept that deal but continued engaging in talks with China, even as Beijing has continued to put pressure on Bhutan, whether through building roads into Bhutanese territory or sending Tibetan herders there. The PLA troop-building near Doklam in 2017 and its steady and systematic advance into Bhutanese territory in the western sector in the years since is aimed at gaining control over the strategic Doklam Plateau. It is to get Bhutan to cede control over Doklam that China has now revived the package offer. Beijing’s recent assertion of claim over Sakteng is yet another manoeuvre to pressure Bhutan to hand over Doklam to China.
Ensuring that Bhutan continues to exercise sovereignty over the Doklam Plateau is vital for India’s national security. India must reassure Bhutan of its full support for its territorial sovereignty. For decades, India and Bhutan have remained sensitive to each other’s priorities; Thimphu to India’s security concerns and New Delhi to Bhutan’s growing aspirations as a young democracy. That sensitive engagement must continue.
A section of Bhutanese, especially the youth, believe that their government should settle the border with China even if it is on the latter’s terms. This would be a disastrous course. Bhutan is a small state and cannot afford to lose territory. A border settlement on Chinese terms will only make Beijing hungry for more Bhutanese territory. By raising claim over Sakteng, Beijing has clearly indicated that its appetite for territory will keep growing. The Bhutanese government must move cautiously. Beijing will take advantage of any weakening on the part of Bhutan.