Why China will not Cede Aksai Chin

Aksai Chin is nearly the same size as Bhutan and smaller than the area of Switzerland. Its major part is captured by China, which took control of the region in the 1950s and solidified its military grip during the 1962 Indo-China conflict, denying all Indian efforts to resolve boundary problems diplomatically. Aksai Chin is a dry, chilly desert flatland with no snow or rain. Its water origin includes the Karakash river and brackish lakes, and is mostly deserted. China invaded Aksai Chin, claiming that it belonged to the late mediaeval Chinese Empire. It is a convenient argument, since borders were less sacred than they are now in the age of the nation states. If this logic is applied, Tibet will also become a Chinese province. Tibet and Ladakh, of which Aksai Chin is a part, have a complex trade and cultural relationship. Tibet-Ladakh connections survived the Mughal Empire’s expansion into Ladakh in the 1660s. After twenty years i.e. in the 1680s, the leaders of Ladakh and Tibet signed a pact that disproved China’s claim of Ladakh being a part of Tibet. Hence, in this article, we will briefly discuss why China retained Aksai Chin and various facts about Aksai Chin. 

Aksai Chin, also known as Chinese Aksayqin, is a region of Kashmir in south-central Asia, located in the northwestern corner of the Indian subcontinent. It includes practically the entire Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir, which India claims as part of the Ladakh union territory. The Tibetan Plateau is extended southwestward into Aksai Chin. China’s territory lies mainly in the southern portion of the Uygur independent Xinjiang region, China, with a minor fraction on the southeast & south sides lying within the Tibet Autonomous Region’s extreme western edge. Aksai Chin is predominantly made up of a high, remote, hostile, and primarily barren plain surrounded to the southwest and west by the Karakoram Range of the Himalaya Range and in the northeast by the Kunlun Mountains, with an average altitude of around 17,000 feet.

Aksai Chin was mainly ignored in the Indian subcontinent due to its isolation and remoteness. Still, in the 1950s, the Chinese constructed a military road across it to link Tibet and Xinjiang. One of the elements contributing to intense border confrontations between the two nations in 1962 was India’s discovery of the route and opposition to China’s presence in the region. China kept control of around 14,700 sq miles in Aksai Chin at the end of the conflict. The region remains a source of dispute between the two countries.

Why did China capture Aksai Chin?

China seized Aksai Chin, claiming that it belonged to the late mediaeval Chinese Empire. It’s a comfortable claim from a period when borders were less sacred than they are now in the age of the nation states. As per this logic, Tibet will become a Chinese colony. Tibet and Ladakh, of which Aksai Chin is a part, have a complex commercial and cultural relationship. Tibet-Ladakh connections survived the Mughal Empire’s expansion into Ladakh in the 1660s. Twenty years later, in the 1680s, the leaders of Ladakh and Tibet signed a pact that disproved China’s claim of Ladakh being a part of Tibet.

In 1846, the British took control of Kashmir and Ladakh and established the border between Tibet and Ladakh. The Indian government inherited the British Empire’s territories and limits in the subcontinent, as determined by the Indian Independence Act, which also founded Pakistan. Aksai Chin did not object to China being a part of India till a few years after 1950, when the Indian Constitution declared Jammu & Kashmir as an integral component of the country.

Facts about Aksai Chin

China and India have a disputed border territory known as Aksai Chin. It is primarily part of Hotan County, located in the southwestern section of Hotan Prefecture in China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region, with a tiny portion on the southeast and south sides falling into the Tibet Autonomous region.

Aksai Chin, part of the Tibetan Plateau, is also known as the Soda Plain. Since the Himalayas and other mountains obstruct the precipitation from the Indian monsoon, the region is essentially deserted, with no permanent settlements and minimal rain or snow. Despite being practically barren and devoid of resources, this region serves as a strategic purpose for China because it links Tibet and Xinjiang.

Conclusion 

Many people nowadays believe that it is critical to stabilise the situation in China’s immediate surroundings; it is crucial to create an atmosphere of peace and security for China’s economic development. Hence, they are rushing to resolve the border conflict with India, even if it means sacrificing some territorial interests. This may benefit China’s economy in the short term, but it will have serious long-term ramifications for China’s security and economic progress.