Bhutan King Wangchuck lands in India for 8-day visit amidst boundary dispute with China
Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. He will also visit Assam and Maharashtra, the ministry said as quoted by PTI. “The King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, accompanied by senior officials of the Royal Government of Bhutan, will be on an official visit to India from November 3 to 10," it said.
The MEA said that India and Bhutan enjoy unique ties of friendship and cooperation which are characterized by understanding and mutual trust. In an official statement, it said the visit would provide an opportunity for both sides to review the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and to further advance the exemplary bilateral partnership across diverse sectors. The Bhutan King's visit to India comes against the backdrop of new momentum in boundary talks between Bhutan and China.
Last week, Bhutan's Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing, PTI reported. A Chinese readout on the talks said Bhutan firmly abides by the one-China principle and stands ready to work with China for an early settlement of the boundary issue and advance the political process of establishing diplomatic relations. India has been keeping a close eye on the negotiations between Bhutan and China on their boundary row as it could have implications for New Delhi's security interests, especially in the Doklam tri-junction.
In August, China and Bhutan agreed to expedite and take simultaneous steps to implement a "three-step roadmap to resolve their festering boundary dispute. In October 2021, Bhutan and China signed an agreement on the "three-step roadmap" to expedite negotiations to resolve their boundary dispute. The signing of the pact came four years after the Indian and Chinese
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