Bhutan-China border demarcation talks inching towards completion: Bhutan PM Tshering
The HinduWith a month remaining in his current tenure, Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering says he hopes for another round of border talks with China and the possibility of completing the demarcation of the boundary between both countries. Speaking about Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s visit to Delhi in April, where he discussed the boundary talks and a number of other issues with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bhutanese Prime Minister said that India had also been briefed on Bhutan’s plan to build a special economic zone at Gelephu city, along the border with Assam. Bhutan and China are “inching” towards the completion of a 3-step roadmap that will completely demarcate their boundary, including marking territory along the Doklam plateau, Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said in an interview at the Prime Minister’s Office in Thimphu. These talks with China could even see progress within the next month, Dr. Tshering said, after which a caretaker government will assume charge in Bhutan before the elections, expected by January-end. Dr. Tshering also spoke about the Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s plans for a special economic zone in Gelephu, and his own prospects for re-election given Bhutan’s current economic challenges.