Keeping China In Centre, Army Chief Gen Pande Holds Talks With Bhutanese Army Chief

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande met with Royal Bhutan Army Chief Operations Officer Lt Gen Batoo Tshering on Tuesday apparently to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral military ties amid China building infrastructure around Bhutanese territory on the Doklam plateau.

According to officials, the discussions centred on many vital aspects of India-Bhutan defence cooperation, and the two commanders discussed the growing regional security picture.

Lt Gen Tshering's visit to New Delhi follows Gen Pande's trip to Bhutan three months ago.

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Pande welcomed Lieutenant General Batoo Tshering, Chief Operations Officer, Royal Bhutan Army and discussed measures to expand Defence Cooperation between the two Armies," the Army said in a tweet.

In honour of the fallen troops, the Bhutanese commander lay a wreath at the National War Memorial. In addition, he was given a guard of honour on the South Block lawns. 

The Doklam plateau is regarded as a critical strategic juncture for India. In 2017, the Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a 73-day standoff at the Doklam tri-junction when China attempted to extend a road through territory claimed by Bhutan.

India had aggressively opposed the building, claiming that it would jeopardise its overall security interests. Following multiple rounds of negotiations, the India-China standoff was settled.

Bhutan and China inked a "three-step roadmap" agreement in October last year to expedite negotiations to resolve their lingering boundary issue.

Bhutan and China share a border of over 400 kilometres and both nations have had over 24 rounds of boundary talks in an attempt to resolve the dispute.