NEWS HIGLIGHT
Theme : Bilateral, regional and global grouping involving India, Significance of Indo-Pacific for India etc
Paper:GS-2
The clash between Indian troops and the Chinese PLA at Galwan in 2020 and the recent altercation between troops at Yangtse in Arunachal Pradesh have highlighted the lingering boundary dispute as well as the complex Line of Actual Control (LAC).
TABLE OF CONTENT
- Context
- Reasons of the 1962 War
- Events that led to the War
- Dispute between India and China in 1950’s
- Present Disputes
- Stand of China
- Role of China’s internal vulnerabilities to bilateral relations with India
- Road Ahead
Context : The clash between Indian troops and the Chinese PLA at Galwan in 2020 and the recent altercation between troops at Yangtse in Arunachal Pradesh have highlighted the lingering boundary dispute as well as the complex Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Reasons of the 1962 War :
- Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh: The main reason for the Indo-China war was a dispute over the sovereignty of the widely separated Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh border regions.
- Claim over territories: India claimed Aksai Chin to be the part of Ladakh whereas China claimed it as the part of Xinjiang.
- Aloofness about Chinese activities at the border: India remained unaware that this area was already in use by China.The Chinese had built a 220-km-long road there only after the completion of the project was announced in 1957.
- In the eastern sector: the McMahon Line had been drawn in 1914 without even a survey.
Events that led to the War :
- Panchsheel agreement (1954): It ousted India out of Tibet and China found the time right to enforce its territorial claims along the Indian border.
- Misconception: Chinese initial intrusions were dismissed by India as minor incidents, while the intrusions continued.
- Kongka pass incident (1959):Nine Indian policemen were killed, and the government held China responsible, creating a sense of betrayal in the public.The border problem built up into armed conflict in 1962.
- Ceasefire: India did not respond positively to the Chinese suggestion to create a demilitarized zone to avoid future conflicts.The two countries were left without an agreed line separating them.
- Chinese claim over the eastern sector as part of any settlement, while holding on to the western sector.
Dispute between India and China in 1950’s :
- Whole of Aksai Chin claimed by India
- Whole of NEFA (now Arunachal Pradesh) is claimed by China.
Present Disputes :
- Trig Heights in the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) area
- Demchok in the south
- The Depsang Bulge
- Galwan
- Pangong Lake and Hot Springs
- Barahoti pasture north of Chamoli in Uttarakhand
- Stand of China :
- Advantage: China has enjoyed an advantage in terms of terrain and logistics on the high plateau of Tibet.
- China has always projected a spurious interpretation of the LAC: shied away from clarifying its position through an exchange of large-scale maps.
Role of China’s internal vulnerabilities to bilateral relations with India :
- Tibet: It has remained a source of insecurity for China.
- Mao Zedong adopted an aggressive stance towards India as a means of consolidating his leadership to avoid internal challenges and avoiding censure of disastrous political and economic policies.
- Xi Jinping: Facing mounting scrutiny for the dreadful Zero-COVID policy, and growing authoritarianism.
- The tendency to create external diversions is a common thread.
Road Ahead :
- Diplomatic talks: Since the Galwan incident, the two sides have disengaged at multiple friction points even as military and diplomatic talks continue to find a way out of the impasse at Depsang and Demchok.
- India’s Endeavour to engage China has been in keeping with India’s broader world vision of good-neighborly and peaceful ties, inclusive growth and development.
FAQs :
-
What was the Dispute between India and China in the 1950's ?
ANS.
- Whole of Aksai Chin claimed by India
- Whole of NEFA (now Arunachal Pradesh) is claimed by China.
-
Name some disputed areas between India & China.
ANS.
- Trig Heights in the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) area
- Demchok in the south
- The Depsang Bulge
- Galwan
- Pangong Lake and Hot Springs
- Barahoti pasture north of Chamoli in Uttarakhand