China, Bhutan set up panel to speed up boundary talks
New Delhi, August 26
China and Bhutan have set up a Joint Technical Team (JTG) on the Delimitation of China-Bhutan Boundary as part of Beijing’s efforts to speed up the resolution of the boundary issue.
The decision to set up the JTG was taken at a meeting of the Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on China-Bhutan Boundary Issues held in Beijing from August 21 to 24. The meeting of the JTG was held on the concluding day of the 13th EGM itself.
However, the 25th Round of China-Bhutan Boundary Talk has still not taken place despite intentions expressed at the 12thEGM held three months back on May 23 in Thimphu. These talks, of great interest to India, have not taken place since2016 thoughBeijing has been pushing hard, even after Doklam and Galwan when it was obvious that Thimphu would be wary of hurtingIndia’s sensitivities.
The EGM was taking place when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Johannesburg to end military tensions in the India-China border areas.
Besides setting up a JTG, the 13th EGM saw “constructive discussions on continuously implementing the MOU on the Three-Step Road Map for Expediting the China-Bhutan Boundary Negotiations” with both sides agreeing to “expedite and take simultaneous steps to implement the Three-Step Road Map”.
As was the case last time, the 13th EGM also saw the two sides agreeing to keep up the “positive momentum of frequent Expert Group Meetings”, and resolved to hold the next EGM as soon as possible.China and Bhutan have held three EGM meetings in the first eight months of the current year. The 11th EGM was held in Kunming from January 10 to 13.
Of the 14 countries sharing their land borders with China, 12 have settled their boundaries. Of the two standouts, Bhutan is currently engaged in resolving its boundary with China, while India’s issue in this regard is stalemated.
