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The Sino-Indian border dispute has been a long territorial dispute between India and China since 1955. India has major trading relations with China. But the deadly border standoff in 2020 could scar the countries’ relationship for years to come. The ‘selected administrative boundary’ usually marked with dotted lines on the map of India is the ‘Line of Actual Control’. Apart from this border, there are dotted lines that mark the disputed areas. Aksai Chin is a territory occupied by China but claimed by India. The yellow shaded part in the northern part of Arunachal Pradesh with the McMahon Line is a territory occupied by India but is claimed by China.
Sino-Indian War and Consecutive Disputes
The two disputed regions led to a war between India and China in 1962. During this war, Chinese troops managed to cross the McMahon line in Arunachal Pradesh and the Indian border posts in Ladakh, occupying Aksai Chin. Another dispute broke out in Sikkim in 1967. Between 1987 and 2013, the Line of Actual Control was established which somewhat de-escalated the issue. The most serious dispute was in recent times, in June 2020, over the Galwan Valley where the troops fought with clubs and stones as using armed ammunition was banned. This resulted in casualties on both sides. This happened when the India-China economic relationship was at its peak.
Adding to the border issues is China’s Belt and Road initiative, a massive infrastructure project aimed at spreading Beijing’s influence all over the globe, including the countries that have been at odds with India. There is a fear that if this issue persists, both nuclear-weaponized countries might be a threat to the whole continent, but it is said that a war is unlikely. The Chinese aim to occupy Ladakh (the north-western Himalayan region), the Doklam Plateau, and Arunachal Pradesh, reports say.
Indian Borders
Aksai Chin in the north-western part of India was occupied by the Chinese during the war of 1962. The British cartographers before Independence clearly marked the Adagh-Johnson Line, Macartney-MacDonald Line, and the McMahon Line which the Chinese fail to respect and accept. Despite these Lines, the Chinese continue to claim the areas beyond these lines within the Indian territories.
Simla Convention (McMahon Line)
Before the Simla Convention which was signed between British India and Tibet without China, Tibet was semi-independent. Gradually Tibet had less Chinese and more British and Russian influence. The British wanted to avoid the Russian influence in Tibet and thus wanted Chinese suzerainty over it. This agreement was later brought up by the British plenipotentiary Sir Henry McMahon who denoted the inner Tibet under the Chinese government and the outer Tibet to Tibetan authorities and British India.
The McMahon line/Sino-Tibetan Boundary was then plotted on the map. Despite negotiations, the Chinese did not agree on this boundary, thus it was not permitted to have the privileges of the treaty. Disowning the agreement, China said that at the time of the agreement, Tibet was not independent. The McMahon Line was a part of this agreement as per British India but the Chinese invaded it and now occupy it despite it being a part of Indian territory.
Line of Actual Control
To bring an end to the losses on both sides, a temporary border, the Line of Actual Control, was established. The agreements were signed based on the fact that it would be both man’s land, i.e. neither side would disturb the status quo, both sides would get to patrol those regions, and both sides would not establish a permanent presence in the region. It is 3,488 km long. It is the world’s longest disputed border. After the battle on the Line of Actual Control, it seems unlikely for India and China to end the border disputes in the near future.
Sino-Indian Skirmish
One of the most prominent disputes was the Sino-Indian Skirmish, which broke out at Sumdorong Chu Valley in 1987. This is the third military conflict between the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Ground Force. India has also claimed that on 20 Oct 1975, China illegally entered what was known as the Indian territory and killed 4 soldiers at Tulung La, Arunachal Pradesh. This region was patrolled for years by the Indian Army where no such incidents were reported. The cold war still continues, as in 2006, the Chinese ambassador claimed Arunachal Pradesh as China’s territory.
In April 2013, the Chinese troops built a camp on the LAC which later was claimed to be 19 km long. The LAC belonged to neither of the countries and corresponding Chinese actions showed a clear trespass. The Indian media reported the presence of Chinese helicopters for dropping the supplies over the camp, but China completely denies this claim. In 2014, despite the Chinese slowly creeping into Indian territory when it came to India building a canal at the border of a village named Demchok, Ladakh, the Chinese civilians staged an uproar against this, powered by the Chinese soldiers, and ultimately the issue had to be withdrawn from both sides.
Conclusion
Over the years, the dispute has led to losses on both sides. The misunderstandings on both sides can be resolved for good in the future. Both the Asian giants know the negative implications of a war. Both the countries also share economic ties that will suffer if the issue persists. Transparency from both sides is the key to solving this dispute. Hopes are high, but it may take a very long time to settle the issues once and for all.
