JOIN USBhutan, China cannot agree on anything without India’s OK
The next round of Bhutan-China border talks are reportedly all set to begin soon. The negotiations between the two countries to resolve border disputes began in 1984 and 24 rounds of talks have been held so far. Besides, 10 rounds of the Expert Group level meetings have also taken place so far. Though both sides have steadfastly stuck to their respective positions, in cliched diplomatic language both have decided to keep meeting “in a spirit of understanding and accommodation”. While Beijing wants Bhutan to “accommodate” it and hand over huge chunks of lands to it, Thimphu “understands” China’s intentions. A new element is the introduction of the commitment to ‘Three-Step Roadmap’.
Both sides are tight-lipped on the details of the ‘Three-Step Roadmap’, which Bhutan has called ‘sensitive information’ which cannot be revealed now. New Delhi has ‘noted’ Bhutan’s stand but has refused to comment on it. Meanwhile, the very next week after the ‘Three-Step Roadmap’ was agreed upon, India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra was in Bhutan on an official visit to discuss several subjects including New Delhi’s developmental assistance to Bhutan.
The eleventh round of the Expert Group meeting held on 10-13 January decided to simultaneously push forward the implementation of all the steps of the ‘Three-Step Roadmap’, increase frequency of meetings, and hold the 25th round of Bhutan-China boundary talks as soon as possible. The roadmap, agreed upon during the 10th EG meeting, was based on the guiding principles of the 1998 Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace, Tranquility and Status Quo in the border areas between the two countries.
Whatever be the terms of the roadmap, New Delhi has every reason to want to know them and be cautious about its implementation. Border talks between Bhutan and China have largely been limited to two areas located in different locations along their international border. One contentious location is the India-Bhutan-Tibet trijunction near Doklam. The other dispute concerns the Jakaarlung-Pasamlung valleys in the Bhutan-Tibet border in the north.
There can be no bilateral agreement between Bhutan and China without India being brought into the picture. The border dispute between Bhutan and China is not a bilateral one, more so after the Doklam standoff. Beijing has a 400-km-long border with Bhutan and lays claim to around 765 sq km of Bhutanese territory. China sees India as a spoilsport in its land-grab games in Bhutan. India and China have had a major confrontation in Doklam, frustrating China’s nefarious design in Bhutan. China needs total control over Chumbi Valley to bring its railway line from Lhasa Yatung closer to Sikkim. Considering the strategic location of Bhutan and given the contours of India-Bhutan agreements, the Eastern Army Command is responsible for the defence of Bhutanese territory in case of external aggression.
India is deeply involved in the economic development of Bhutan, assisting it in tapping its hydroelectric potential through Tala, Chuka and Wangchu hydro projects. Nearly half of the external revenue that Bhutan gets is from sale of electricity to India. The cultural and religious links between India and Bhutan run deep and date back to the Buddhist era. The closeness can only be compared to the one that India enjoys with Tibet. The Chinese aggression in Tibet and total occupation in 1958-59 brought these religio-cultural relations to an end. Strategically, taking over Tibet created a new border for China with India, Nepal and Bhutan just as annexing Xinjiang brought China closer to India and Central Asian countries. Bhutan had every reason to be worried after the Chinese annexation of Tibet as Bhutan could have been the next victim of Beijing’s expansionism.
Just as Bhutan has reasons to be apprehensive of China’s expansionist designs, India has a much greater stake in keeping China not only out of Bhutan but also out of Tibet. New Delhi has cooperated with China in maintaining peace and tranquility in the border. But China has thrown the agreements to the wind and began to implement the ‘new plan’ to encircle India in the north, a string of pearls in the Himalayas.
China’s claims over Bhutan’s territory has its origin in its takeover of Tibet, when Beijing claimed some of Bhutan’s territory as being part of Tibet. Beijing needs to be told that even Tibet is not its original land and that it has committed an immoral and blatant aggression. Freeing Tibet from Chinese occupation and restoring its past pristine glory should be the primary obligation of every democratic dispensation in the world. Bhutan should put on hold all border talks till the issue of Tibet is settled. In any case, Bhutan should not do anything that will bring China to India’s doorstep in the Himalayas.