Bhutan and China have had a dispute over its borders for decades. Beijing claims 764 sq km of Bhutanese territory. China has also been trying to move the tri-junction between the three nations, currently at Batang la to Gyemochen. Image used for representational purposes/Reuters
India, China and its borders continue to be a perennial issue. And now the recent comments made by the prime minister of Bhutan on the matter has left New Delhi wary. Experts are now wondering if Bhutan’s Lotay Tshering may be taking a more pragmatic approach to the border dispute, potentially at India’s expense.
Let’s take a closer look at what Bhutan’s Lotay Tshering said and the possible implications of his statement.
What the Bhutan PM said
Speaking to Belgian daily La Libre while on a state visit to Germany, Bhutan prime minister Lotay Tshering commented on the Doklam plateau dispute as well as the presence of Chinese villages inside Bhutan.
On the matter of Doklam, Tshering said, “It is not up to Bhutan alone to solve the problem. “There are three of us. There is no big or small country, there are three equal countries, each counting for a third.”
He added, “We are ready. As soon as the other two parties are ready too, we can discuss.”
In the same interview, Lotay Tshering also addressed the reports of China building villages inside Bhutan’s borders. The Himalayan kingdom’s prime minister claimed that these purported settlements do not fall in Bhutanese territory. “A lot of information is circulating in the media about Chinese facilities in Bhutan. We are not making a (big) deal about them because they are not in Bhutan. We have said it categorically, there is no intrusion as mentioned in the media. This is an international border and we know exactly what belongs to us.”
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On the same issue, he added, “We are not experiencing major border problems with China, but some territories have not yet been demarcated. After one or two more meetings, we will probably be able to draw a dividing line.”
Bhutan has historically maintained close relations with India, but the recent statement is an indication that Thimphu may be veerign towards China. File image/PTI
Why these comments are worrying
Let’s break down what the Bhutan prime minister said and why his statements would not be of comfort for New Delhi.
Lotay Tshering said that the Doklam plateau issue is one that needs to be resolved by three parties — India, Bhutan and China.
The Doklam plateau has been a point of contention between India and China and was also the site where the troops of both nations were involved in a tense standoff lasting more than two months in 2017. Indian soldiers had entered the Doklam plateau to prevent China extending a road that it was illegally constructing in the direction of Mount Gipmochi and an adjoining hill feature called the Jhampheri ridge.
For years, the tri-junction point between the three nations has been 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. However, Beijing claims that the tri-junction is Gyemochen.
This is because the Batang La tri-junction offers China with very little depth to deploy its forces. As defence expert Nitin A Gokhale wrote in a Rediff.com report — the border, as it stands today, gives India a tactical advantage since its forces based in north and north-east Sikkim can easily cut off the Chinese deployment in the narrow Chumbi Valley.
Owing to this situation, China has been vying to control the Doklam plateau; any troops stationed there will be away from the eyes or range of the Indian forces and additionally, Beijing would be able to roll down Zimplri ridge and undermine Indian defences in the Siliguri Corridor that connects the rest of India to the seven north-eastern states.
Also read: Why China’s plans of a new railway line through Aksai Chin is worrying news for India
Now, Lotay Tshering’s comments are divergent of what he had said in 2019. At that point Tshering had said, “No side should do anything near the existing tri-junction point between the three countries unilaterally.”
The Bhutan prime minister’s remarks are a concern as it might mean that Thimphu is veering towards the Chinese side and this could be a problem for India’s security.
Besides the issue of Doklam, Tshering also spoke of Chinese infrastructure inside Bhutan. While he refuted claims of any Chinese presence in the country, recent satellite data suggests otherwise. Robert Barnett — a scholar of Tibetan history and affiliate at the Lau China Institute, Kings College London — had also studied international maps of the area and come to the conclusion that Beijing had built villages inside Bhutan.
On Twitter, Barnett explained that three of the villages are in the mid-sector of Bhutan’s northern border, two are in the northeastern region of Lhuentse, while the remaining five are in the western border areas.
As NDTV reported, Tshering’s remarks are perhaps Bhutan’s inability halt China’s ‘salami-slicing’ of Bhutanese territory. As Dr Brahma Chellaney, India’s foremost strategic affairs expert on China, told NDTV, “The Bhutanese PM’s statement suggests that to save face, Bhutan is claiming that the territories China has stealthily occupied are not Bhutanese areas. But this could encourage further Chinese salami slicing of Bhutanese territories.”
Interestingly, the statement comes after Bhutan held talks with China in January this year on boundary negotiations.
Experts now worry that the new stand on Doklam by Bhutan is in exchange for a settlement of the disputed Bhutanese territory to the north.
New Delhi has chosen to stay mum on the issue for now, but its eyes will surely be turned to area and it will be keeping a close watch on the maps being drawn out by the Himalayan kingdom and the Asian Dragon.
With inputs from agencies
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