After talks in Thimphu, Bhutan and China said they had made more progress in implementing a “three-step roadmap” towards resolving their boundary dispute. The 12th Expert Group Meeting (EGM), which oversees the actual boundary talks, was held in the Bhutanese capital just four months after the 11th round of EGM talks was held in Kunming. It stressed the “importance of increasing the frequency of their meetings.” However, the meeting didn’t announce any breakthrough in setting a date for the next round or the 25th round of boundary talks, which have not been held since 2016, and was suspended after the military standoff at Doklam, but said that they agreed to hold them “as soon as possible at mutually convenient dates.”
“The two sides expressed their confidence in the Three-Step Roadmap and reiterated the importance of increasing the frequency of their meetings to make further progress in its implementation. They agreed to hold the next EGM in Beijing at an early date,” said the joint statement issued by Bhutanese and Chinese Foreign Ministers after the conclusion of the talks on 24-25 May. “The meeting was held in a warm and friendly atmosphere in keeping with the close ties of friendship and cooperation between Bhutan and China,” it added.
While there was a two-year gap between the 10th round of the EGM held in April 2021 and the 11th round of the EGM held in January 2023, it is significant that the 12th round has followed within months and could indicate a more rapid development in the talks. The announcement that the next venue of the meeting is Beijing may also indicate progress, as the last few rounds have been held in Kunming or Thimphu and not in the Chinese capital.
