The Bilateral Boundary Issues between PRC and the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan

　　ABSTRACT: The Royal Kingdom of Bhutan is the only state of all 14 neighboring countries that has not established diplomatic relations with People’s Republic of China. The land frontiers between PRC and the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan are the only two of all 14 bilateral boundary lines around China that haven’t been surveyed and settled through diplomatic negotiations. Because of the special relations between Bhutan and India, the bilateral boundary issues between PRC and the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan had been implicated in the territorial disputes between China and India before the 1970s. Nevertheless, since the 1980s, with the relations between China and India getting normalized and achieving numbers of improvements, as well as the Bhutan government advancing the “Independent Diplomacy”, the governments of PRC and the Bhutan Kingdom have been conducting direct bilateral diplomatic talks. From 1984 to 2010, there have been 19 rounds of boundary negotiations (Vice ministerial-level) between two countries. Though the negotiations have achieved some advancement, there has been no breakthrough. It is clear “the Factor of India” is still the key restriction that cannot turn around.