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7 0 Y E A R SO F I N D O - C H IN A
B O R D E RT E N S I O N S

The .3,500 km of shared borders has led to

countless conflicts till date between the
two countries.

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SWIPE LEFT
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• The relationship between India and China took birth

in 1950, when China emerged as a communist state.

• India was the first Non-Socialist nation to esta blish

relations with China, endorsing the latter's
representation in the UN.

• India volunta rily became China's representative in

world affairs as China had been isolated from many
issues in the pre-1950 era.
The poweroi tt-oug-rt.
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3

EMERGENCE OF 0
B 0 R D E R D IS P U T E S r nftUC

• In 1950, China annexed Tibet and consequently built

a road, placing border posts at Aksai Chin, a region
cla imed by India.

• Till 1957, India was oblivious to the existence of this

road; it got cognizant about this when China
published its new map.

• This region was easily accessible from China, but it

lay on the south side of the Ka rakoram Mountain
ranges undermining India's access to it.
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UNCLEAR DEM
The PO'h'f)t' of rhought.
ARCATIONAND THE
MCMAHON LIN
E

- DispuLed txirder Di<;putedlerrliorv

> Aksai Chin Arunachal Prad

Controlled by China and claimed bV 1naia Ctmlrolled by Indio dnd
claimer! bv fhina

PAKISTAN
CHINA McMahonJ
New Delhi 0

IND IA

To resolve any further border disputes, Nehru declared that

India considered 'McMahon Line' as its official border in
response to which China raised no concerns, stating they had
no claim over India's territories; however, its maps showed
120,000 sq. km of Indian territory as Chinese regions.
 /1
5

0
T H E PA N C HS H E E L T R E A IVi

• In 1954, the Panchsheel Treaty was signed between

India and China to promote the advancement of their
nationaI interests.

• The treaty stood for "Non-interference in others

internal affairs and respect for each other's territorial
unity, integrity and sovereignty"

• It served as a means to ensure economic and

security cooperation between the two nations.
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7
s
C H I NAS T A K E S C LA 0
IM 0VE R
1

actual control
Ja

• Soon enough, China's maps sta rted including the

North East Frontier Area (NEFA) and Aksai Chin as
Chinese territory .

• China suggested India to drop its cla im on Aksai

Chin in return for withdrawal of claims over NEFA.

• Nehru denied China's claim on either of the

territories and declined any negotiations until China
removed their troops from Aksa i Chin.

• The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 which

a mplified tensions; China felt that India could be a
threat to its hegemony in Tibet.
 The powerd thouftrt.

• In 1962, India fa ced a massive blow as China attacked

India in October by invading the 'agreed upon'
McMohan Line.

• India wa s unprepa red, never a nticipating such a n

extreme response by China; India's 20,000 troops
stood against China's force of 80,000 troops.

• Indian telephone lines were cut, preventing the

a rmy from communicati ng with the headquarters.

• The wa r continued for a month and ended after

China declared a ceasefire.
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8/1 0

The POh' 'f.lt' of thought.

THE NATHU-LA
A N D C H O - LA C L A S H

In 1967, the nations

CHINA clashed yet aga in at
{Tibet) Nathu La, the strategic
pass in India's Sikkim
that demarcates one of
Asia's most contentious
borders; Indian troops
defeated the Chinese,
with the region joining
India in 1975 through a
referendum which was
declared illegal by China.
INDIA
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• Doklam is a disputed region positioned near the tri

junction of China a nd Bhutan with India.

• India has no territoria l interest in the region a nd

instead it supports Bhutan's claim as a result of their
'specia l relationship'.

• China sta rted extending a road southwar d in

Dokla m, however Indian troops with weapons and
bulldozers stopped the construction, leading to a
standoff which ended with an 'expeditious
disengagement'.
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THE ONGOING CLA
SHIN LA D A
KH

• The Chinese have opposed the construction of a road

branching off the 'Darbuk-Shyok-Da ulat Beg Oldi
Road' towa rds the LAC, well within the Indian
territory .
• On 5th May, the a rmies of both the nations clashed,
leaving several soldiers inj ured in the Northern Bank
of Pangong, a nd leading to esca lated deployment of
troops .
• This accompa nies China's esca lated aggression in
the Indian Ocean a nd South China Sea; what is said
to be 'opportunism' as the world is busy combatting
COVID-19 .