Indo-China Relationship - Key Incidents from the History

The two world’s most populated countries, India and China have had decades long conflicts and clashes along their border.

The neighboring Asian nations are equipped with nuclear power has a long history of mistrust and conflicts along their lengthy border.

The prevailing situation in the “Line Of Control” (LOC) has a deep connection with the past conflicts and disagreements between the two superpowers. In recent years we have seen numerous skirmishes along the border.

Let’s lookback on the history between the two nations:

1954 – Nehru’s Visit to Beijing

Jawaharlal Nehru had a vision of an internationalist foreign policy governed by the ethics of the Panchsheel (Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence), which he initially believed was shared by China. But, he was disappointed when it became clear that the two countries had a conflict of interest in Tibet, which had traditionally served as a buffer zone, and where India believed it had inherited special privileges from the British Raj.

Nehru questioned the boundaries shown on official Chinese maps, prompting Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai to reply that his government did not accept the colonial frontier.

 

1962 – Sino-Indian War

Border disputes resulted in a short border war between China and India on 20 October 1962. The border clash resulted in a defeat of India as China pushed the Indian forces to within 48 km of the Assam plains in the northeast. It also occupied strategic points in the Aksai Chin and Demchok regions of Ladakh, before declaring a unilateral ceasefire on 21 November. It claimed that it withdrew to 20 km behind its contended line of control. India disagreed with the claim.

 

1967 - Nathu La and Cho La clashes

In late 1967, there were two more conflicts between Indian and Chinese forces at their contested border, in Sikkim. The first conflict was dubbed the "Nathu La Incident", and the other the "Cho La Incident".

Nathu La - Starting 11 September 1967, this escalated over the next five days to an exchange of heavy artillery and mortar fire between the Indian and Chinese forces. Sixty-two Indian soldiers were killed.

Cho La clashes - On 1 October 1967, some Indian and Chinese soldiers had an argument over the control of a boulder at the Chola outpost in Sikkim (then a protectorate of India), triggering a fight that escalated to a mortar and heavy machine gun duel. During a series of clashes, the Indian government said 88 Indian soldiers died and up to 400 Chinese casualties.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Landmark visit to China

In 1978, the Indian Minister of External Affairs Atal Bihari Vajpayee made a landmark visit to Beijing, and both countries officially re-established diplomatic relations in 1979. After this visit, the Chinese leaders agreed to prioritize India in the boundary issues, as the first step to a broadening of relations.

The two countries hosted each other's news agencies, and Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in Tibet, the home of the Hindu pantheon, were opened to annual pilgrimages.

2017 Doklam standoff

On 16 June 2017 Chinese troops with construction vehicles and road-building equipment began extending an existing road southward in Doklam, a territory which is claimed by both China as well as India's ally Bhutan. On 18 June 2017, around 270 Indian troops, with weapons and two bulldozers, entered Doklam to stop the Chinese troops from constructing the road.

On 28 August 2017, China and India reached a consensus to put an end to the border stand-off. Both of them agreed to disengage from the standoff in Doklam.

2020 Ladakh skirmishes

On 10 May 2020, Chinese and Indian troops clashed in Nathu La, Sikkim (India). 11 soldiers were injured. Following the skirmishes in Sikkim, tensions between the two countries grew in Ladakh with a buildup of troops at multiple locations. 20 Indian and 35 PLA soldiers were reportedly killed in Action on the night of June 15/16.

Post this incident, the Chinese government has called the Indian officials for a negotiation which is planned to happen on 18 June 2020. Hope this brings an end to this decades long clashes and skirmishes.

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