The ongoing Indo-China border dispute is an interesting topic for those who are interested in geopolitics. China has on Monday published its new ‘standard map’ staking claim not only over Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin but also Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea. Amid the global significance of Taiwan and the South China Sea, the territorial conflict between the world’s two most populous nations, concerning Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh, is intriguing.
The first of the territories, Aksai Chin, is administered by China as part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Tibet Autonomous Region and claimed by India as part of the union territory of Ladakh; The second of the territories, Arunachal Pradesh, is claimed by China as part of South Tibet and administered by India.
The dispute over Aksai Chin dates back to the 19th century, when the British Empire drew up a map that placed the territory within India’s borders. China does not recognize this map, and in 1956 it constructed a road through Aksai Chin, which India claimed as its own. This led to the Sino-Indian War of 1962, in which China defeated India and gained control of Aksai Chin.
In 1914, the Simla Accord was signed between British India and Tibet, which established a boundary between the two countries. However, China did not sign the accord and does not recognize it. China annexed Tibet in 1951, when the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) marched into Tibet and forced the Tibetan government to sign the Seventeen Point Agreement.
Aksai Chin borders Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Karakoram Highway in PoK is a major trade route between Pakistan and China. The Xinjiang-Tibet Highway in Aksai Chin is a strategic road for China, as it provides a land link between its western provinces and Tibet.
The dispute over Arunachal Pradesh is more recent. In 1962, China also claimed Arunachal Pradesh, but it did not take any military action to assert its claim. In recent years, China has been more assertive in its claims to Arunachal Pradesh, and there have been several military standoffs between the two countries in the region.
The Indo-China border dispute is a major source of tension between the two countries. It has prevented them from fully normalizing their relations and has also raised the risk of a military conflict. In recent years, there have been some efforts to resolve the dispute through dialogue, but these efforts have so far been unsuccessful. The Indo-China border dispute is a complex and intractable issue. It is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.
Interestingly, however, China remains India’s top foreign trade partner after the USA. The United States is India’s largest trading partner, with a trade volume of $128.55 billion in 2022-23, followed by China with a trade volume of $135.98 billion in 2022.
Meanwhile, China has become increasingly assertive in recent years which have been met with concern from many countries, who worry that it is trying to expand its influence and challenge the status quo. It remains to be seen how China’s assertiveness will play out in the years to come. However, it is clear that China is a rising power with global ambitions, and its actions will have a significant impact on the world order.