The shadow of the dragon loomed large over Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s three-day visit to India. This was the first high-level meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the King this year. There will be closer cooperation on space, railways and energy. But did China and the border come up? The ministry of external affairs chose to maintain a diplomatic silence.
The conversation between the two leaders “covered the entire gamut’’ of issues, said foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra at a special media briefing. He did not provide specific details on the dialogue, but said: “India and Bhutan are in close coordination relating to national interest.”
The visit came in the backdrop of Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering's recent comments to a Belgian daily that had set the cat among the pigeons. He had indicated that the talks on the disputed areas in Doklam plateau would be complete in one or two more meetings. “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,” he was quoted as saying.
A Chinese technical team was also due to arrive soon. Referring to the Doklam plateau issue, Tshering was quoted as saying: “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.” His comments sparked off a controversy in India with the opposition—especially the Congress—claiming that the relationship between India and Bhutan was facing a challenge from an aggressive China.
While Tshering tried to smoothen the ruffled feathers later by clarifying in a Bhutanese newspaper that there was “no change in the position’’, his comments are likely to have caused concern in the South Block. They also suggest that Beijing is putting pressure on Bhutan to resolve the issue. In 2020, China had claimed that Sakteng wildlife sanctuary was also a disputed territory. It has been three years since the stand off, the beginning of the frostiness between India and China, which so far is not showing any chances of melting. Instead, China has chosen to become more aggressive on the borders.
Any increase in frostiness in the relationship between the two countries is a cause for concern for Thimpu. On Monday, China chose to add to the tensions by releasing the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh in a bid to assert their claims over the state. India, however, reacted strongly. “We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
The cloud of China may have hovered around the King's visit, but there were other takeaways. India has promised to step up assistance for the 13th five year plan for Bhutan. On the cards is also an integrated check post, as well as cooperation on an energy engagement.