Space Travel News
SUPERPOWERS
India, China eye strategic areas bordering 'last barrier' Bhutan
India, China eye strategic areas bordering 'last barrier' Bhutan
By Bhuvan Bagga with Peter Catterall in Beijing
New Delhi (AFP) Jan 5, 2024

Squeezed between giant arch-rivals India and China, the landlocked mountain kingdom of Bhutan was long isolated by icy Himalayan peaks.

But as Bhutan readies to elect a new parliament in Thimphu on January 9, China and India are watching the contest with keen interest as they eye strategic contested border zones, analysts warn.

A "cooperation agreement" inked between Bhutan and China in October after talks over their disputed northern frontier sparked concern in India, which has long regarded Bhutan as a buffer state firmly under its orbit.

Bhutan is "one of the last barriers" in China's bid to exert influence in South Asia, said Harsh V. Pant, an international relations professor at King's College London told AFP.

India is determined not to let China extend its influence further across what New Delhi sees as its natural sphere of influence, wary after a swathe of muscular trade deals and loans by Beijing, including with Bangladesh, Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

Thimphu and Beijing do not have formal diplomatic relations.

India, however, effectively oversaw Bhutan's foreign policy until 2007.

The relationship was "in exchange for free-trade and security arrangements", Britain's Chatham House think tank wrote in a December report.

The report included satellite photographs it said showed an "unsanctioned programme of settlement construction" by China in Bhutan's northern frontier region, which could "become permanent Chinese territory" pending the outcome of a border deal.

China's foreign ministry told AFP in a statement of its "determination to strive for an early resolution of the boundary issue and the establishment of diplomatic relations".

- 'Far-reaching implications' -

"Beijing will anticipate that a deal consolidating its gains in northern Bhutan may lead to formal diplomatic relations and the opportunity to draw Thimphu into its orbit", Chatham House said.

"Any such deal would have far-reaching implications for India."

If China succeeds in that, Beijing "can push a view that India is now marginal in its immediate neighbourhood", Pant added.

New Delhi has been wary of Beijing's growing military assertiveness and their 3,500-kilometre (2,175-mile) shared frontier has been a perennial source of tension.

In 2017, there was a 72-day military standoff after Chinese forces moved into the disputed Doklam plateau, on the China-India-Bhutan border.

The plateau pushes south towards India's critical Siliguri Corridor, dubbed the "Chicken's Neck".

The perilously narrow strip of land lies between Nepal and Bangladesh, and connects India's northeastern states with the rest of the country.

China and India fought a month-long war in the region in 1962.

"New Delhi would be concerned that, in the event of a deal demarcating Bhutan's northern border, attention may turn to territory in Bhutan's west which China disputes, including the Doklam plateau," Chatham House added.

For Bhutan, dwarfed by China, striking a deal makes sense, said Pant.

"If they don't resolve their border now, tomorrow they will be in an even more unfavourable position," he said.

- 'Quiet concern' -

Suhasini Haidar, diplomatic editor of The Hindu newspaper, said India was worried that a Bhutan-China border deal "seems imminent".

She said that Bhutan's "fast-tracking" of boundary talks with China after the 2017 Doklam standoff was a decision that "India has viewed with quiet concern".

Analysts say foreign policy plays little role in the domestic concerns of voters in Bhutan -- about the size of Switzerland with around 800,000 people -- who are more worried about high unemployment and young people migrating abroad seeking jobs.

However, India is the biggest source of investment and infrastructure in Bhutan -- Thimphu's ngultrum currency is pegged to New Delhi's rupee -- and boosting bilateral relations is key.

"Any government coming to power will seek to shore up ties," Haidar said.

Bhutan has strong economic and strategic relations with India, "particularly as its major trading partner, source of foreign aid and as a financier and buyer of surplus hydropower", according to the World Bank. About 70 percent of Bhutan's imports come from India.

In December, Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck announced a special economic zone along its border with India.

Both hopefuls to become Bhutan's new prime minister speak enthusiastically about boosting links with New Delhi to lift Bhutan's $3 billion economy.

India has already announced a slew of connectivity projects including a railway line to Bhutan, but much would depend on Indian investors.

"Bhutan will be seeking investments from other countries," said Haidar, adding it will be "significant" if Thimphu welcomes funds from China.

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SUPERPOWERS
Deadly Russian strikes pound Ukraine cities
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) Jan 2, 2024
Russia on Tuesday rained missiles on Ukraine's two main cities, killing four people and injuring dozens while 250,000 consumers in the capital region were left without power in near-freezing temperatures. The attacks on the capital Kyiv and the northeastern city of Kharkiv came less than 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would intensify strikes. "One wounded elderly woman from a building in the Solomyansky district... died in an ambulance. Twenty-seven wounded people w ... read more

SUPERPOWERS
SUPERPOWERS
Recent volcanism on Mars reveals a planet more active than previously thought

Sussex research takes us a step closer to sustaining human life on Mars

Rocker-Bogie Around the Marsmas Sea: Sols 4041-4042

Zhurong Rover Unveils Ancient Polygonal Terrain Under Mars' Utopia Planitia

SUPERPOWERS
Private US lunar lander faces failure after 'critical' fuel loss

NASA Sending Five Payloads to Moon on Astrobotic's Peregrine Lander

NASA astronauts test SpaceX's new elevator for upcoming Artemis Lunar landings

SpaceX and Intuitive Machines set revised launch window for IM-1 lunar mission

SUPERPOWERS
Researchers reveal true colors of Neptune, Uranus

The PI's Perspective: The Long Game

Webb rings in the holidays with the ringed planet Uranus

Unwrapping Uranus and its icy moon secrets

SUPERPOWERS
Astrophysicists publish Kepler Giant Planet Search, an aid to 'figure out where to find life'

Earth may have had all the elements needed for life within it all along

NASA Study Finds Life-Sparking Energy Source and Molecule at Enceladus

Some Icy Exoplanets May Have Habitable Oceans and Geysers

SUPERPOWERS
DTI Develops Innovative Plasma Engine for Spacecraft: Reduces Earth Fuel Dependency

ULA's Vulcan Centaur launches first American Moon lander in over 50 years

SpaceX set for Falcon Heavy USSF-52 mission to launch X-37B military space plane

SpaceX launches Starlink, Sarah-2 missions

SUPERPOWERS
Shenzhou XVII astronauts set for their first spacewalk

China's commercial space sector achieves milestones with series of successful launches

China's space programme: Five things to know

Long March rockets mark their 500th spaceflight

SUPERPOWERS
Nuclear deflection simulations advance planetary defense against asteroid threats

Diamond Light Source Prepares for In-Depth Analysis of Bennu Samples

Study on Asteroid Ryugu samples highlights differences from primitive meteorites

A Great Year for the Geminids

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.