The South China Morning Post (April 17) said that China and Bhutan have agreed to resume the long-delayed boundary. It disclosed that experts from China and Bhutan during a four-day meeting the previous week in Kunming, the two sides talked about a “road map to expedite” boundary talks and to hold the 25th round of discussions on the issue “as soon as possible”. Hong Liang, Director General of China's foreign ministry’s Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, and Letho Tobdhen Tangbi, Bhutan’s Secretary of International Boundaries. They described discussions as “in-depth and fruitful discussions on the boundary issue”. China also gave Bhutan Covid-19 assistance material on the sidelines of the meeting. There is no confirmed date yet for the boundary talks between China and Bhutan, and it will be the first since the months-long border stand-off in 2017. Stating that India has prevented Bhutan from engaging more closely with China, the South China Morning Post quoted Lin Minwang, a professor at the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, as saying “These boundary talks are a way for them to maintain dialogue and exchanges. The backdrop this time is similar, for them to continue engaging, maintaining communication and confirming whether their stances on the issue have changed". He added, “Over the past two years, because of the Doklam stand-off, India’s control over Bhutan has grown more strict, so Bhutan is in a very delicate position as well.”
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