The area where the Kingdom of Bhutan was located was a dependency of the Tubo Dynasty from the 7th century AD, became an independent tribe in the 9th century, and then implemented a theocratic system until the establishment of the Kingdom of Bhutan in 1907. Historically, the regime in Bhutan was not independent for most of the time, initially dependent on Tubo, later dependent on the Central Plains Dynasty under the administration of Tibet, and then diplomatic guidance by Britain and India.
Bhutan is a small mountainous country, bordering China in the northeast and west, and India in the south, with an area of 38,000 square kilometers and a population of only 750,000 in 2021. Since 1984, the two sides have held border talks almost every year, and although the atmosphere has always been friendly, by 2012 the two sides had negotiated 20 times without results. Bhutan has repeatedly suggested that China should treat small countries like Bhutan as a big country, and China says it is a neighbor with 25 other countries and cannot be generous to just one country.
The first king of the Kingdom of Bhutan, Ugan Wangchuk
Both sides clearly hope to seek a fair, reasonable and acceptable solution to the demarcation of the border through friendly consultations, believing that this will be conducive to the process of establishing diplomatic relations between China and China.
China has not established diplomatic relations so far, but it has maintained friendly exchanges, especially on the issue of human rights and Taiwan, and Bhutan has always stood by the side of the People's Republic of China. Even so, why is it still impossible to establish diplomatic relations, and Bhutan has repeatedly wavered on the issue of border disputes?
In 1949, Bhutan and India signed the Treaty of Permanent Peace and Friendship, stipulating that Bhutan's diplomacy is guided by India and Bhutan cannot decide diplomatic issues on its own. It was not until 2007 that Bhutan and India amended the Treaty of Friendship between India and stipulated that Bhutan could conduct diplomatic activities on its own and decide which country to establish diplomatic relations with, but only on the premise of not harming India's interests.
Even if it is able to become independent, India's all-round control over Bhutan has prevented Bhutan from making decisions on many major issues.
How deep is India's control over Bhutan? India is Bhutan's largest trading partner, donor and creditor country, the National Bank of Bhutan is co-organized with India, the Bhutan government and military departments are full of Indian advisers, especially military spending and military equipment are completely provided by India, which determines that Bhutan can only rely on India's nose, and cannot independently decide international and domestic affairs.
Why does India have to control Bhutan in all directions? The following picture is all in the picture, which is too important for northeast India.
Is Bhutan so willing to be controlled by India? No, it's just that there is too much economic and military dependence on India, and once India cuts off supplies to Bhutan, Bhutan will not be able to sustain itself. Therefore, although Bhutan has not established diplomatic relations with China, it has also been seeking cooperation with China, its only two neighbors, hoping that by increasing cooperation with China, it will have the opportunity to get rid of its dependence on India and achieve complete independence.