Beijing: China’s act of flaring up the territorial disputes can be the means to ‘punish’ Bhutan for aligning with India as Beijing assumed that Thimphu’s foreign policy for their country is influenced by New Delhi’s dominance and control, says a website Epardafas.com citing scholars.
China and Bhutan used to share a good relationship but since Beijing invaded Tibet in 1949, the relationship strained. And the Chinese leader Mao Zedong’s claim over Bhutan as their territory made the situation worst. China’s new maps of 1954 and 1958 and the illegal occupation of 300 square miles of Bhutanese territory further aggravated the apprehensions about Chinese designs on Bhutan.
During that period, India came forward and helped by deploying its Military Training Team (IMTRAT) in Bhutan to train the Bhutanese security forces in 1961 and since then it has been providing security for the country. And recently, the Doklam standoff between Indian and Chinese forces in 2017 has made the security matter even more important and calls for even better coordination and partnership between Indian and Bhutanese forces to secure the strategic areas, according to Epardafas.com, a Nepal-based online magazine.
The bilateral ties between Bhutan and India are mutually beneficial. India has provided significant assistance in wide-ranging areas including hydropower, trade, education, and socio-economic development, epardafas.com reported. And India has been a market for Bhutan’s exports providing its revenue by consuming hydroelectricity, semi-finished products, ferrosilicon, and dolomite.
Epardafas.com reported that the major Indo-Bhutan relations have been related to Hydroelectricity generation as both have committed to developing a 10,000-megawatt hydroelectricity project in Bhutan. Although the development of the 720 MW Mangdechhu hydropower project is an achievement. This has propelled yet another project 600 MW Kholongchhu for hydroelectricity. This is to gather surplus hydroelectricity from Bhutan and export it to India which will generate employment and revenue for Bhutan.
In the field of education, India will be providing grants of Rs 4,500 crores and a transitional Trade Support Facility of Rs 400 crores over the period of 2018 to 2023 which will strengthen economic links. The India-Bhutan satellite launch by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be providing real-time data and high resolutions images for land mapping and management of natural resources, epardafas.com reported.
Several other projects have been initiated by India and Bhutan mutually RuPay, the integration of Bhutan’s DrukREN with India’s national Knowledge Network, and the establishment of ISRO’s Ground Earth Station to use South Asia Satellite. All this has been beneficial for Bhutan in terms of security, hydropower, trade, and commerce, security and intelligence sharing, education, culture, space, and technology. As the strong relationship between both countries stands on the Indo-Bhutan Friendship Treaty of 1949.
