
THIMPHU, Bhutan -- In June, Narendra Modi chose tiny Bhutan as his first foreign destination as India's prime minister. An old and trusted ally of India, the Himalayan kingdom laid out the red carpet for the visitors.
Bhutan may be small, with just 700,000 people, but its location is of strategic interest to its northern neighbor. China, which shares a 490km border with Bhutan, has been wooing it of late. That is something India does not welcome.