NEW DELHI: Ahead of Bhutan’s parliamentary polls, both India and China are jockeying for influence with all stakeholders who, they believe, are like to play a major role in government formation in the tiny but strategically located country.

Chinese vice foreign minister Kong Xuanyou made an unannounced visit to Thimphu Monday and held a meeting with Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay. India had been anxiously watching the visit by the Chinese ambassador to India, Luo Zhaohui, to Bhutan.

As it turns out, Luo was in Thimphu to prepare for the visit by Kong. India has until now successfully worked to ensure that there are no formal diplomatic ties between Bhutan and China but that clearly hasn’t come in the way of Beijing ’s Thimphu outreach.

For many in India, Bhutan remains India’s only unquestioned friend in the neighbourhood. It’s also India’s only neighbour which even refused to become a part of China’s BRI initiative.

While Luo landed in Bhutan on Saturday, another top Chinese diplomat based in Delhi, Li Bijian, has remained stationed in Bhutan’s capital for almost a week.

The Chinese diplomats TOI contacted on Saturday were quiet about the agenda for the visit but diplomatic sources said Luo was expected to interact with leaders of several political parties.

To hedge against any serious warming up of ties between China and Bhutan, official sources said, India has already communicated to Bhutan authorities that PM Narendra Modi is considering visiting Thimphu immediately after the new National Assembly is constituted.

Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay, seen as a pro-India leader, is expected to resign on July 31 when the National Assembly term comes to an end. Indian government’s own reports from Bhutan seem to suggest that there is a widespread feeling of anti-incumbency in the country.

The timing of the visit is significant because of the elections and also because China has been piling pressure on Bhutan to accept a land-swap deal which could see Bhutan cede the Doklam plateau, the site of China-India military standoff last year, to China.

The visit, as strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney says, is significant considering the ambassador is visiting Thimphu after the PLA has gained effective control over much of Doklam which Bhutan regards as its integral part.

