The King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, began his two-day visit to India on April 3, 2023. The Indian External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, received the King at the airport, reflecting the importance India has attached to the visit. The Bhutanese King will hold talks with President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. The strategic ties between the two countries have witnessed significant expansion in recent years, particularly after a 73-day face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam tri-junction in 2017.
India has been providing assistance to Bhutan for implementation of its successive Five Year Plans since 1961. There has been significant cooperation between the two sides in the area of hydro-power projects. In October 2021, Bhutan and China signed an agreement to expedite negotiations to resolve their boundary dispute, which has been ongoing for several decades. The agreement laid out a three-step roadmap that includes holding talks at the level of the Special Representatives, exchanging boundary maps, and finalizing a mutually agreed boundary. Bhutan and China have held over 24 rounds of boundary talks since the 1980s, but a resolution has remained elusive.
The dispute centers around the Doklam plateau, which is claimed by both Bhutan and China, and which is also close to India’s strategic Chicken’s Neck corridor. In September 2022, the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, had a transit visit to Delhi, India’s capital. The King’s visit was on his way to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York. During his visit, he met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials to discuss the close ties between India and Bhutan.
