{"id":74039,"date":"2024-03-22T08:32:05","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T08:32:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/indian-pm-modi-in-bhutan-to-shore-up-ties-with-eye-on-china\/"},"modified":"2024-03-22T08:32:05","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T08:32:05","slug":"indian-pm-modi-in-bhutan-to-shore-up-ties-with-eye-on-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/indian-pm-modi-in-bhutan-to-shore-up-ties-with-eye-on-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian PM Modi in Bhutan to shore up ties with eye on China"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Bhutan on Friday for a two-day state visit to the tiny but strategic Himalayan nation also being courted by China.<\/p>\n

Landlocked Bhutan<\/a>, known for its policy of prioritising \u201cGross National Happiness\u201d over growth, has long been regarded by New Delhi as a buffer state firmly within its orbit.<\/p>\n

India is determined not to let China gain further toeholds across what it sees as its natural sphere of influence, following trade and infrastructure deals Beijing sealed over the years with other neighbours.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between India and Bhutan and the Government\u2019s emphasis on its Neighbourhood First Policy,\u201d said a statement from Modi\u2019s office announcing his arrival.<\/p>\n

India effectively oversaw Bhutan\u2019s foreign policy until 2007, the year before the kingdom\u2019s first multi-party elections.<\/p>\n

Bhutan does not have formal diplomatic relations with China but the two countries inked<\/a> a \u201ccooperation agreement\u201d last October after talks over their long-disputed frontier.<\/p>\n

A December report from Britain\u2019s Chatham House think tank included satellite photographs it said showed<\/a> an \u201cunsanctioned programme of settlement construction\u201d by China in Bhutan\u2019s northern frontier region.<\/p>\n

It added that the developments could \u201cbecome permanent Chinese territory\u201d if a border deal was struck.<\/p>\n

Modi last week hosted Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay in his first official overseas visit after returning to office for a second term in January.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Bhutan on Friday for a two-day state visit to the tiny but strategic Himalayan nation also being courted by China. Landlocked Bhutan, known for its policy of prioritising \u201cGross National Happiness\u201d over growth, has long been regarded by New Delhi as a buffer state firmly within its orbit. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":74040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/large\/2024\/03\/22120943fa8bdd9.jpg?r=122955","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t