Bhutan switches focus to China

[amoy]

Nov 20, 2012

"I think it's time we have our own foreign policy experts," Thinley told journalists.

India, which inherited the suzerainty over Bhutan after the independence in 1947, has enjoyed almost exclusive influence on that nation. Thimphu, for its part, derived a sense of security from its relations with New Delhi, especially after China "annexed" Tibet, Bhutan's northern neighbor, in 1959. However, Bhutan, which struggles to sustain itself financially due to its difficult terrain, got weary of overdependence on New Delhi after its western neighbor, Sikkim, was "absorbed" by India through a referendum in 1975.

A 1949 treaty required Thimphu to be guided by the advice of New Delhi in regard to its external relations; the clause was removed in a 2007 treaty - only on paper. But now, Thimphu seems to think the time has come to actually pursue a foreign policy independent of India.

Bhutan is aggressively seeking a role in international relations apparently to assert its sovereignty in all matters. Thimphu made an unsuccessful bid for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council last month. It managed to get 20 votes in the 193-member General Assembly. Thinley said during the press conference that Bhutan's participation in the UNSC election was in itself an achievement.

In July 2011, Thimphu was able to get the UN General Assembly unanimously adopt a resolution placing "happiness" on the global agenda and empowering Bhutan to convene a high-level meeting on happiness as part of the 66th session of the Assembly in New York. This perhaps further reassured Bhutan that it deserves to be independent of foreign influence.

In August, about two months after Thinley's meeting with Jiabao, India's concerns didn't deter Thimphu from hosting China's Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying, who made another public pitch for establishing diplomatic relations with Bhutan in a speech in Thimphu (kuenselonline � Blog Archive � It is time for China and Bhutan to build bridges of friendship and cooperation). "About six weeks ago Premier Wen Jiabao and Prime Minister Jigme Thinley met for a historic, first-time meeting between the two countries at the head of government level in Rio de Janeiro on the sidelines of the Rio+20 summit. The two leaders reached new and important common understanding on the development of China-Bhutan relations," Ying reiterated. But Thimphu did not issue a public statement on Ying's visit.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/NK20Df01.html

 

[illusion8]

India messes around with China's neighbor and China's with India's. This will be cyclical and these small nations will take advantage of both China and India similar to how Sri Lanka's doing it.

 

[Rage]

We must be weary of our losing grasp over traditional longstanding allies like Bhutan and Nepal, even as we consolidate our influence and relationship with neighbors like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Bhutan and Nepal have virtually been our 29th and 30th states. And the fact of the matter is: unless we get our economic game in order, our long run competitiveness will be severely hampered.

Bhutan has so far been an easy nation to chaperon because of the monarchy. But as a sizable middle class emerges within Bhutan, they will get more vocal about wanting to explore more viable economic alternatives; and there's only so much Jigme Wangchuk can do about it.

 

[SpArK]

So Bhutan bumper lottery is going to China.. gooD.

 

[hit&run]

Bhutan got weary of when Sikkim got absorbed into India but not weary of China when whole Tibet got butchered and assimilated by them ?

The whole article is bait, a commie psy op.

 

[Rage]

Bhutan got weary of when Sikkim got absorbed into India but not weary of China when whole Tibet got butchered and assimilated by them ?

The whole article is bait, a commie psy op.

It would be if it was not cautioning India to be more proactive in engaging with the tiny Himalayan kingdom.

That China is attempting to wean Bhutan off India is fact. One that we should wake up to.

EDIT: It seems I read it with a particular bent of mind. It may not, in fact, be exhorting India to be more proactive. In which case, hit&run, you could be right.

 

[Ray]

Bhutan and Nepal's access to the sea is through ports in India.

Notwithstanding all the brouhaha and faux bravura, these countries will have to depend on India.

It is of course another question if China offset the expensive transit of goods and commodities to Nepal and Bhutan from the Chinese ports.

 

[SpArK]

"Water is to us what oil is to Arab." This is a popular statement made by the King of Bhutan while speaking of Bhutan's largest exportable produce- Hydropower. The country of a population of around 7 lakh hosts a hydropower potential of 30,000 MW against its existing domestic need of around 500MW.

However, under an Indo-Bhutan power sector agreement of 2006, India was to receive 5000MW Extra hydropower from Bhutan by the year 2020. It had been subsequently increased to 10,000 MW . "This commitment to India is still our first priority. Bhutan will explore fresh foreign investment possibilities in hydropower sector only after fulfillment of that," clarified Mr. Wangda.

Clear enough, Bhutan does not want its hydropower policy to cause any impact on its relationship with its largest ex-im partner- India. , Bhutan is now exporting entire amount of its excess hydropower of over 1500 MW out of its total production of around 2000MW to India. The trade makes India as the largest importer of Bhutan produce while significantly contribution to Bhutan's economic growth of over 20% per annum.

Bhutan to further open up its hydropower sector - Economic Times

 

[hit&run]

It would be if it was not cautioning India to be more proactive in engaging with the tiny Himalayan kingdom.

That China is attempting to wean Bhutan off India is fact. One that we should wake up to.

Absolutely, but I do not see any thing wrong if Bhutan may or may not tilt towards anyone. If China can out spend us to wean us out from Bhutan then we can not complaint.

Diplomatically they are free to be friend with China, militarily I will watch for Chinese ammunition dumps in Bhutan (which is just impossible) especially when they have their own disputes with Chinese and they are aware of their grand plans of assimilating Buddhist monasteries left in India and Bhutan after Tibet.

Like I said its a Psy Op and our opinion on these Issue can be used against us in prompting Bhutan against us. When we are approaching ASEAN such psy ops are predictable.

 

[Ray]

One should not miss out the fact that the US has great interest in Bhutan.

One should not forget Hope Cooke, an American socialite who became the "Gyalmo" of Sikkim.

She returned to New York City with her two children. They divorced in 1980.

When her parents were divorced and grandparents died, she became the ward of her aunt and uncle, Mary Paul (Noyes) and Selden Chapin, a former US Ambassador to Iran and Peru.

It is worthwhile to note that she was connected to the Foreign Service thus.

How convenient it was that she met Thondup Namgyal, Crown Prince of Sikkim, in the bar of the Windamere Hotel in Darjeeling, India. He was a recent widower with two sons and a daughter, and, aged 36, nearly twice her age.

It is also interesting to note that Hope Cooke, a Protestant, married the Crown Prince of Sikkim in a Buddhist monastery. She renounced her United States citizenship but after her husband was deposed she requested that it be restored, which it apparently was via private bill.

Note, how conveniently she met and married the Chogyal over a drink and then renounced her citizenship and when it was no go after India took over Sikkim, she restored her citizenship as a US citizen! Everything was such a coincidence!

And the US connection continued. Cooke's daughter, Princess Hope, graduated from Milton Academy and Georgetown University, and married (and later divorced) Thomas Gwyn Reich Jr., a U.S. Foreign Service officer. Note Foreign Service officer!

It was rumoured that Hope Cook was a CIA plant.

She started taking the message of Sikkimese independence to the youth, and the allegations started flying thick and fast that she was a CIA agent. These were the coldest years of the Cold War, and there was a tendency in India to see a "foreign hand" behind everything so it was not unusual for the American queen to be labelled a CIA agent. However, as Hope Cook's relations with Delhi deteriorated, so did her marriage with the Chogyal. In 1973, she took her two children and went back to New York. She hasn't returned to Sikkim since.
25 years after SIKKIM- Nepali Times

It might be noted that in those days the US India relations was real cold.

Therefore, one should not discount that the US will take greater interest in Bhutan than ever before and use it as a 'listening post' into Tibet and China.

China claims the Dolam Plateau of Bhutan and which the Bhutanese are not willing to part with at any cost.

Bhutan Royalty has Tibetan connections and the Tibetans are not totally delighted with the Chinese, they have had over 70 immolations!