 "PM Modi in Bhutan: Why the visit matters amid growing China threat")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on his two-day state visit to Bhutan from Friday (22 March). The trip, which comes just weeks before the Lok Sabha elections in India, is in line with the “tradition of regular high-level exchanges” between the two countries and the Centre’s emphasis on its ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement earlier this week.
This is possibly the last foreign tour of PM Modi before nearly two-month-long general elections commence in India in April. The brief trip comes in the wake of Bhutan’s PM Tshering Tobgay’s recent five-day visit to India.
Here’s why India’s ties with Bhutan matter.
India-Bhutan relations
According to the MEA, India and Bhutan share a “unique and enduring” partnership steeped in “mutual trust, understanding and goodwill”.
This “special relationship” is governed by the Indo-Bhutan Friendship Treaty of 1949, which was later updated in 2007.
The two countries had established formal diplomatic relations in 1968.
India has been a reliable friend of the small Himalayan kingdom for decades. New Delhi remains Bhutan’s chief development partner. India has been providing financial aid to Bhutan for its socio-economic development since the early 1960s when the country began its five-year plans, according to Economic Times (ET).
During Bhutan PM Tobgay’s recently-concluded visit, Modi promised to step up New Delhi’s support for Bhutan’s 13th five-year plan, including considering a request for an economic stimulus programme.
Impact Shorts
View AllPrime Minister @narendramodi meets Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay
— PIB India (@PIB_India) March 15, 2024
The two leaders reaffirmed commitment to further strengthen the special and unique bilateral friendship
Read here: https://t.co/BiZ9zFrVpl pic.twitter.com/6fhz8cBss7
India and Bhutan have also come together to enhance cooperation in various fields, including hydropower, infrastructure, health, education, digital connectivity and even space.
PM Modi in Bhutan
PM Modi’s trip to the neighbouring country comes after the election announcement due to which the model code of conduct is already in place in India.
According to the model code, no major policy decisions can be made once election dates are declared. Hence, no key pacts or announcements are expected during Modi’s visit, people familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times (HT).
It is also rare for the Indian Prime Minister to travel abroad once election dates are announced. Modi’s Bhutan trip is to signal the importance India attaches to its ties with Thimpu, HT reported.
PM Modi will meet Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his father – the fourth monarch of Bhutan – Jigme Singye Wangchuck. He will also hold talks with his Bhutanese counterpart, Tshering Tobgay, as per PTI.
Modi is likely to commit India’s support to Bhutan for its ambitious “Gelephu Mindfulness City” project during his visit, sources told Deccan Herald (DH).
The Bhutanese King had launched the plan last December to develop a major economic hub in Gelephu on Bhutan’s southern border with Assam. Thimphu is keenly seeking India’s assistance with rail and roadways connecting to Gelephu and upgrading the Gelephu airport to accommodate international flights, noted The Hindu.
India and Bhutan plan to build a 58-km rail link between Gelephu and Kokrajhar in Assam. The proposed land connection from Gelephu, traversing Assam and West Bengal, will reportedly give Bhutan access to Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Singapore over time.
The bilateral connectivity projects, including the cross-border rail link, are likely to be on the agenda when Modi meets Bhutan’s King and its newly-elected PM. India could also pledge its backing to Bhutan’s plan for an international airport in Gelephu, reported DH.
The ‘ Gelephu Smartcity Project’ is important for the Bhutanese economy hit by the pandemic. The initiative was a key priority of the Bhutanese King’s agenda during his visit to India last November.
As per ET sources, PM Modi’s visit can result in new initiatives in energy, infrastructure and cross-border trade between the two countries. The neighbours are also seeking to expand security partnerships.
With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) eyeing to win most of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the Northeast, PM Modi might use the Bhutan visit to highlight the steps taken by his government to increase the region’s connectivity with neighbouring countries, reported DH.
The China factor
China’s growing presence in Bhutan is of concern for India. New Delhi is closely watching the talks between its two neighbours on boundary demarcation.
Thimphu’s border discussions with China saw considerable progress under the previous Bhutanese government, making India wary.
New Delhi is anxious that a deal between Thimphu and Beijing could include swapping Doklam – located close to the tri-junction between India, Bhutan and China – for disputed territories in the north.
India considers the Doklam plateau an undisputed territory of Bhutan, whereas, Beijing regards it as an extension of its Chumbi Valley, which lies between Sikkim and Bhutan.
The plateau is close to the strategically important Siliguri Corridor, which connects the Indian mainland to the Northeast. The corridor also links India with Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.
Last year, Bhutan and China signed a “cooperation agreement” for a joint technical team on the “delimitation and demarcation” of the boundary between the two countries.
Any deal between China and Bhutan will have security implications for India. China is also eager to establish formal diplomatic relations with Bhutan.
Amid this backdrop, the back-to-back visits between the PMs of both countries indicate strong ties between Bhutan and India.
With inputs from agencies
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