Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
pared with other countries, but serious by our standards.' That led on to the four principles
of GNH: fair socio-economic development including education and health, conservation
and promotion of the country's culture, environmental protection, and good governance.
36
In 2006, having just introduced democratically elected governments, King Jigme Singye
Wangchuck (or K4 as he is often known) abdicated in favour of one of his sons, 28-year-old
Oxford-educated Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, who was crowned in 2008. Here was
a dynasty that was protecting the country's heritage while also looking for ways to encour-
age economic growth. The idea of GNH caught the world's imagination and Bhutan's first
elected government, which came to office in 2008, tried to quantify and measure various
indicators. It also pushed the topic internationally at the UN with a resolution titled 'Happi-
2013, took a more measured approach. When he visited Delhi, the new prime minister Tsh-
ering Tobgay and his officials told me that, while it was good for academics to study GNH,
he would personally adopt a simpler approach and test every decision against the original
basic aims.
China achieved a breakthrough on the fringes of a UN conference in Rio de Janeiro in
June 2012 when Wen Jiabao secured his first meeting with Jigme Yoser Thinley, then the
prime minister. This was followed by other contacts. Thinley's nationalist views made him
less India-centric, and therefore more open to flattery and proposals from China than the
Bhutanese monarchy which was traditionally India-oriented. King Jigme Khesar Namgyal
(K5), is also believed to be more open-minded on the subject than his father, whom he suc-
ceeded in 2006 but who still has influence on international affairs.
Both King Jigme and the prime minister discussed China and the border issues during
visits to Delhi early in 2013, but the urgency eased later in the year when Tshering Tobgay
China will gain increased diplomatic access in Thimpu, and possibly full recognition, some
time in the future. When that happens, it will increase India's sense of encirclement, and
will test its questionable ability to move from hegemony to partnership.
Business Security Risks
There are security risks in China's growing economic involvement with India because its
companies are supplying telecom networks and power generation and other infrastructure
equipment. Bilateral trade totalling $70bn is heavily weighted in China's favour. Indian
manufacturers do not find it easy to break into the market, whereas Chinese goods, from
cheap toys to heavy engineering equipment, sell well. In May 2013, the total value of
