Bhutan is a landlocked country situated in the eastern Himalayas between India and China. Bhutan and India share 699 km of land boundary (MHA). Once declared as the happiest country in the world, Bhutan has remained India’s closest and most trustworthy neighbour. In the post cold war era geopolitics, China is emerging as an aggressive power, trying to increase its influence in South Asia. In this context, importance of Bhutan for India has increased manifolds due to following reasons:
Bhutan: A Buffer State
Buffer state is a country or territory lying between two rival and potentially hostile great powers. During British rule, the two mountainous states, Nepal and Tibet served as buffer zones. Significance of Bhutan as a buffer state increased manifold after the establishment of communist government in China. For several decades Bhutan did not have any diplomatic relations with China. It is a well known fact that Bhutan is the only neighbouring country of India that has not yet established formal diplomatic relations with China. On the other hand, China is not ready to accept India’s exclusive friendship with Bhutan.
Proximity to Chicken Neck of India
Bhutan is located very close to the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken Neck, which connects mainland India with its northeastern states. It is strategically a very important region. In 2017, China started building military infrastructure in Doklam, an area spread over 100 sq. km., comprising plateau and a valley at the trijunction between India, Bhutan and China. Doklam is surrounded by the Chumbi valley of Tibet, Bhutan’s Ha valley and Sikkim (The Hindu). When the Chinese intruded Doklam plateau, Indian troops entered the region, stopped Chinese military activities and pushed back its forces.
Image credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tensions-between-india-and-china.jpg
Rivers flowing into India
Rivers such as Manas (Drangme Chhu) and Sankosh (Mo Chhu) are transboundary rivers originating in Himalayas, entering into Indian territory and meeting Brahmaputra River. Any interference with the river course (through dams etc.) in the upper reaches may have an adverse impact on the lower reaches that exists in India.
Bhutan and Insurgency in the Northeast India
In the 1990s many insurgents groups like ULFA, NDFA, KLO etc. established their hideouts in Southern Bhutan. In December, 2003 India and Bhutan conducted joint operations to flush-out northeastern insurgents from Bhutan. It is important for India to contain any anti-India groups spreading their influence in Bhutan.
Bhutan is dependent on India for nearly everything, from fuel supply, security to development aid. The Royal Bhutanese Army is trained by the Indian army. India is also Bhutan’s biggest trading partner, therefore political and economic stability of Bhutan is detrimental for India’s integrity and security.
Remarks: Recently, China and Bhutan announced signing an MOU on a three-step roadmap of expediting Bhutan-China boundary negotiations. As per reports, China has requested Bhutan to hand it over the Doklam plateau. It has raised alarm bells in the Indian strategic circles. The Indian diplomatic community needs to convince Bhutan, not to take any decision which may pose a threat to India’s security.