Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Bhutan toward modernization. 3. Bhutan-China border negotiations. 4. Strategic perspective of China. 5. Chin- Bhutan relations: implication for Indian security. 6. China’s security challenges and policy. 7. China and Bhutan: historical and contemporary contexts. Bibliography. Index.

Of all the national that border China, its comparison with Bhutan would appear to be a paradox. In comprehensive power terms, Bhutan is almost a nonentity to China. Bhutan’s biggest disadvantage is its geography that limits its connectivity to India in South and China in North with no access to sea or any other third country without using either Indian or Chinese land or airspace. Nevertheless, in the geopolitical context of today’s South Asia, Bhutan’s geography has strategic ramifications for both India and China. China’s continued military modernization and incremental upgrade of its military posture in Tibet to enable rapid force deployment, backed by logistics capability and communication infratstructure are worrisome. The book loyally illustrate in a concise and reliable manner the chronological background Chinese policy towards Bhutan. Bhutan forms one of the fingers of China’s five finger policy.