China, Bhutan sign MoU to chalk roadmap to resolve border dispute

The governments of Bhutan and China on Thursday signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the three-step roadmap for expediting the Bhutan-China Boundary negotiations. The memorandum was signed by the foreign affairs representatives of both countries. The foreign minister of Bhutan, H.E. Lyonpo Tandi Dorji and the assistant minister of foreign affairs of China, H.E. Wu Jianghao signed the MoU after a long online discussion. The MoU has put an end to the ongoing border negotiations between the two nations.  
 

After the virtual discussion of the foreign ministry officials from both countries, the memorandum of Understanding between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Three-Step Roadmap for Expediting the Bhutan-China Boundary Negotiations was signed on October 14, Bhutanese Foreign Ministry said in a press release. 

Memorandum of Understanding signed between Bhutan & China

The disagreement over the two countries' borders has raged on for decades, but it has finally been resolved following multiple rounds of diplomatic talks. The dispute has reached the settlement stage after twenty-four rounds of diplomatic boundary talks. Bhutan and China have been negotiating on their border since 1984, and there have been twenty-four rounds of boundary talks and ten rounds of expert group meetings between the two countries.

Bhutan-China negotiated on border dispute since 1984

The 1988 Official Joint statement on the 'Guiding Principles for the settlement of the Boundary and the 1998 Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace, Tranquility,' and the Status Quo in the Bhutan-China Border Areas directed the negotiations, which were conducted in a spirit of understanding and cooperation, the presser said. Earlier, the two sides agreed on a Three-Step Roadmap during the 10th Expert Group Meeting in Kunming in April this year, which is built on the 1988 Guiding Principles and assisted to speed the boundary negotiations. 

The Memorandum of Understanding on the Three-Step Roadmap will give the Boundary Talks a fresh momentum, the Bhutanese government asserted. The adoption of this Roadmap in a spirit of kindness, respect, and cooperation is expected to result in successful boundary negotiations that are acceptable to both parties. The two sides will exchange the Memorandum of Understanding through diplomatic channels soon.

Image: MoFA, Bhutan