fredag 5. mai 2023

Bhutan wants a border deal with China: Will India accept?

The Himalayan nation of Bhutan is nestled between two Asian giants, China and India. But that unique geographical position also comes with a price. Bhutan is one of the two countries with which China is yet to resolve its land border dispute. The other country is India, which has a long-running disagreement over its Himalayan frontier with China.

China's global rise is putting pressure on Bhutan to reach a deal with Beijing, but any possible breakthrough will need the approval of its ally India. Thimphu and Delhi share a close relationship and India has been offering hundreds of millions of dollars of economic and military aid to Thimphu. Bhutan and China have disputes over territory in the north and in the west in the Himalayas. Among all the contentious places, the key issue is a strategic plateau called Doklam - situated close to the tri-junction between India, Bhutan and China. Bhutan and China claim the region and India supports Thimphu's position.