Bhutan–China relations
Map indicating locations of China and Bhutan

China
Bhutan

The Kingdom of Bhutan and the People's Republic of China do not maintain official diplomatic relations, and relations are historically tense.[1][2][3] The PRC shares a contiguous border of 470 kilometers with Bhutan, and its territorial disputes with Bhutan have been a source of potential conflict. Since 1984, the two governments have conducted regular talks on border and security issues to reduce tensions.[1][2][3][4]

Background

Bhutan has long had strong cultural, historical, religious, and economic connections to Tibet. Relations with Tibet were strained when China took over Tibet in the 1950s. Unlike Tibet, Bhutan had no history of being under the suzerainty of China but fell under British suzerainty during the British Raj following the Treaty of Punakha in 1910.

Bhutan's border with Tibet has never been officially recognized, much less demarcated. The Republic of China officially maintains a territorial claim on parts of Bhutan.[5] The territorial claim was maintained by the People's Republic of China after the Chinese Communist Party took control of mainland China in the Chinese Civil War. With the increase in soldiers on the Chinese side of the Sino-Bhutanese border after the 17-point agreement between the Tibetan government and the central government of the PRC, Bhutan withdrew its representative from Lhasa.[5][6][7]

The 1959 Tibetan uprising and the 14th Dalai Lama's arrival in neighboring India made the security of Bhutan's border with China a necessity for Bhutan. An estimated 6,000 Tibetans fled to Bhutan and were granted asylum, although Bhutan subsequently closed its border to China, fearing more refugees.[5][8]

Bhutan-China relations are constrained also by Bhutan's close relationship with India.[9] Nonetheless, relations with China have improved following China's Belt and Road Initiative.[10]: 215  Generally, Bhutan seeks balance with its larger neighbors China and India in order to avoid dependency on either country.[10]: 215 

History

Bhutan has historical ties to Tibet through their culture, history, religion, and economy . However, their relationship became tense after Bhutan supported the British Empire and the British invasion of Tibet. With the signing of an agreement between the People's Republic of China and the Tibetan locals, and the deployment of troops on the border between China and Bhutan, Bhutan withdrew its representatives in the People's Republic of China from Lhasa.[11][12] After the 1959 Tibetan riots and the arrival of the Dalai Lama in neighbouring India, some 6,000 Tibetans fled to Bhutan and were granted asylum. Bhutan closed its border with China, afraid that there would be more refugees.[13]

The Indian government constrains Bhutan and needs India's approval when developing diplomatic relations with other countries. Bhutan has no diplomatic relations with any of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. It is the only UN member state worldwide that has not established diplomatic relations with either the People's Republic of China or the Republic of China. It is the only country of the PRC's bordering neighbors that do not have diplomatic relations with them.

Boundary issues

With the entry of the People's Liberation Army into Tibet, some Tibetan settlements in western Tibet, formerly controlled by the Bhutanese government, came under the control of the People's Republic of China. While some sources believe that the Bhutan-China border was settled in a secret agreement during 1961, neither country has ever publicly acknowledged such an agreement.[14] In 1998, the two countries signed a peace and tranquility agreement, although border disputes remain. [15] A 2002 official statement by the King of Bhutan to the National Assembly, specifies that there are still four disputed areas between Bhutan and China.[16]

Mitigation

In 1974, Bhutan invited Ma Muming, Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in India, to attend the coronation of the fourth Bhutanese King Jigme Singye Wangchuck. In 1983, Chinese Foreign Minister Wu Xueqian and Bhutanese Foreign Minister Dawa Tsering held talks in New York on establishing bilateral relations. In 1984, China and Bhutan began direct negotiations on the border dispute.[16][17] Since then, the two countries have taken turns holding border meetings in their respective capitals.[18]

China and Bhutan signed a bilateral agreement on their border disputes at the 12th boundary meeting in 1998.[18] China reaffirmed its respect for Bhutan's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the agreement. The two sides also proposed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.[16][19][17][20] However, China later built roads in the territory claimed by Bhutan, and China was accused of violating the agreement and provoking tension. In 2002, China submitted some files to prove its sovereignty over the disputed land, and the two sides reached a provisional agreement after consultation.

In June 2012, then-Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met with Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigme Thinley, which was the first meeting between the two countries heads of government.

On October 14, 2021, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao and Bhutanese Foreign Minister Thandit Dorji signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the "Three-Step Roadmap" for accelerating the Sino-Bhutan border negotiations by video in Beijing and Thimphu, respectively.

Map of Bhutan showing border with China as of 2010

See also

References

  1. 1 2 A New Bhutan Calling (14 May 2008). OutlookIndia.com. Accessed May 30, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "Bhutan-China Relations". Bhutannewsonline.com. 5 July 2004. Archived from the original on 27 December 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
  3. 1 2 Hussain, Wasbir (May 2007). "India and the upcoming Druk democracy". Himal Southasian. Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
  4. ↑ Ethirajan, Anbarasan (27 April 2023). "Bhutan wants a border deal with China: Will India accept?". BBC News. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Savada, Andrea Matles (September 1991). Nepal, and Bhutan : country studies. Library of Congress. pp. 330–333. ISBN 0844407771. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
  6. ↑ Balaji, Mohan (12 January 2008). "In Bhutan, China and India collide". Asia Times Online. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ↑ M Shamsur Rabb Khan (8 April 2008). "Elections in the Himalayan Kingdom: New Dawn of India-Bhutan Relations". Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies. Retrieved 29 May 2008.
  8. ↑ Bhutan: a land frozen in time (9 February 1998). BBC. Accessed May 30, 2008.
  9. ↑ Kelegama, Saman (2016). "China as a Balancer in South Asia". The New Great Game: China and South and Central Asia in the Era of Reform. Thomas Fingar. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-8047-9764-1. OCLC 939553543.
  10. 1 2 Alfred, Gerstl (2023). "China in its Immediate Neighborhood". In Kironska, Kristina; Turscanyi, Richard Q. (eds.). Contemporary China: a New Superpower?. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-03-239508-1.
  11. ↑ Balaji, Mohan (12 January 2008). "In Bhutan, China and India collide". Asia Times Online. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ↑ M Shamsur Rabb Khan (8 April 2008). "Elections in the Himalayan Kingdom: New Dawn of India-Bhutan Relations". Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2008.
  13. ↑ "Bhutan: a land frozen in time". Archived from the original on 14 July 2013.
  14. ↑ Singh, Swaran (2016). "China Engages Its Southwest Frontier". The new great game : China and South and Central Asia in the era of reform. Thomas Fingar. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-8047-9764-1. OCLC 939553543.
  15. ↑ Singh, Swaran (2016). "China Engages Its Southwest Frontier". The new great game : China and South and Central Asia in the era of reform. Thomas Fingar. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-8047-9764-1. OCLC 939553543.
  16. 1 2 3 "Bhutan-China relations". BhutanNewsOnline.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2002. Retrieved 6 July 2014.(in English)
  17. 1 2 Balaji, Mohan (12 January 2008). "In Bhutan, China and India collide". Asia Times Online. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. 1 2 "中国同不丹的关系". 中华人民共和国外交部. 2016. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  19. ↑ India and the upcoming Druk democracy Archived 2008-01-13 at the Wayback Machine (May 2007). HimalMag.com. Accessed May 30, 2008.
  20. ↑ Bhutan Gazette (7 June 2007). BhutanGazette. They were accessed on May 30, 2008.

Further reading

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