China, Bhutan hold 25th Round of Boundary Talks

Beijing: China and Bhutan held the 25th Round of Boundary Talks in Beijing with the two sides inking a cooperation agreement on the responsibilities and functions of the joint technical team during the talks, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Sun Weidong, vice minister of Foreign Affairs of China, led the Chinese delegation, and Tandi Dorji, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Bhutan, led the Bhutanese delegation. During the talks, the two leaders of the delegations signed the Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Kingdom of Bhutan on the Responsibilities and Functions of the Joint Technical Team (JTT) on the Delimitation and Demarcation of the China-Bhutan Boundary.

The JTT was established during the 13th Expert Group Meeting to assist the Expert Group in the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Three-Step Roadmap, Global Times reported on Wednesday.

 The two sides held in-depth discussions on boundary negotiations and noted the progress made through a series of Expert Group Meetings since the 24th Round of Boundary Talks in 2016. The two delegation leaders commended the Expert Group for the work done and agreed to build on the positive momentum.

China and Bhutan agreed to continue working together to simultaneously push forward the implementation of all the steps of the Three-Step Roadmap. The discussions were held in a warm and friendly atmosphere in keeping with the ties of friendship and cooperation between China and Bhutan. The two sides also exchanged views on enhancing bilateral relations and matters of mutual interest.

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Tuesday met with visiting Bhutanese Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji in Beijing. Both sides agreed to accelerate the boundary demarcation process and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.