China In Arunachal Pradesh - Burning Issues

Table of Contents

ABOUT ARUNACHAL PRADESH

Capital –Itanagar
24^th Indian State
UT- 21 Jan,1972
Statehood -20 Feb,1987
Area – 83,743 km²

Population Distribution

Only less than 10% of its population is Tibetan.
Indo-Mongoloid tribe’s account for 68% of the population.
The rest are migrants from Nagaland and Assam.
As far as religious affinities go, Hindus are the biggest group with 37%, followed by 36% animists, 13% Buddhists.

In all there are 21 major tribal groups and over 100 ethnically distinct sub-groupings, speaking over 50 distinct languages and dialects.
The population of about a million is spread out over 17 towns and 3649 villages.

LAC

The China-India border dispute is an amalgamation of 3 separate territorial disputes :

The dispute in the Eastern sector revolves around the state of Arunachal Pradesh, and more specifically Tawang – which China claims as part of South Tibet.

Tawang is a Buddhist enclave that lies at the intersection of the two most sensitive areas in the Sino-Indian rivalry – Tibet and the border dispute.

HISTORY

The Imperial India of the British incorporated all of today’s India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Britishers brought Assam into India in 1826 when they defeated Burma and formalized the annexation with the Treaty of Yandabo

In 1886 British sent out a punitive expedition into the Lohit valley in pursuit of marauding tribesmen who began raiding the new tea gardens
The area was neither under Chinese or Tibetan control for there were no protests either from the Dalai Lama or the Chinese Amban in Lhasa (Tibet)

Tibet remained in self-imposed isolation and became the greatest challenge for explorers and adventurers in the second half of the 19th century.

As the adventurers, often-military officers masquerading as explorers began visiting Tibet the British in India began worrying.
In 1903 Lord Curzon decided to send a military expedition into Tibet. A brigade went over the Nathu La into the Chumbi valley till Xigatse.

The British got the Tibetans to agree to end their isolation and extracted trade concessions. In 1907 Britain and Russia formally agreed that it was in their interests to leave Tibet “in that state of isolation from which, till recently, she has shown no intention to depart.”

In 1913 the Tibetans declared independence after the collapse of the Chinese Qing dynasty and the establishment of a Republic under Sun Yat Sen. They drove the Chinese garrisons in Tibet into India over the Nathu La.

In 1913 the British convened the Simla Conference to demarcate the India-Tibet border. The British proposed the 1914 McMahon Line.
The Tibetans accepted it.

McMahon proposed a division of Tibet into two zones: an “Inner Tibet” that would be under China’s full administrative autonomy and an “Outer Tibet” that would enjoy substantial autonomy.

The Chinese protested. China does not accept the McMahon Line and maintains that Tibet did not at the time possess the sovereign authority to renegotiate its borders in 1914.
In 1944 JP Mills established British Indian administration in NEFA (Arunachal now), but excluded Tawang which continued to be administered by the Lhasa appointed head, despite the fact that it lay well below the McMahon Line.
This was largely because the Governor of Assam did not want to provoke the Tibetans.

In 1947 the Dalai Lama sent the newly independent India a note-laying claim “to some districts” in NEFA/Arunachal.

On October 7, 1950 the Chinese attacked the Tibetans at seven places on their frontier and made known their intention of reasserting control over all of Tibet
As in response on February 16, 1951 Major Relangnao Khating raised the India tricolor in Tawang and took over the administration of the tract.
Later, in 1959, when the current Dalai Lama fled Tibet, he came into India through Tawang.

During the Sino-Indian war of 1962,Tawang fell briefly under Chinese control, but China voluntarily withdrew its troops at the end of the war.

Tawang again came under Indian administration, but China has not relinquished its claims on most of Arunachal Pradesh including Tawang

May 2007:China denies a visa to Arunachal Pradesh’s chief minister, saying the state is, in fact, a part of China, and residents do not require a visa to visit their own country.

Similar incident in 2016

October 2009: China objects to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh.
India’s Response : Arunachal is integral part of India and China must not interfere
July 2017: Reports emerge of troops buildup and a standoff between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Sikkim region.

Doklam Issue

WHY IS CHINA RELUCTANT TO ACCEPT MCMOHAN LINE AND CLAIMS TAWANG ?

b) The precariousness surrounding the drawing of the McMahon line followed by the Chinese resistance along with Britain’s concern that the line violated their earlier treaties with China and Russia proved to be a huge setback for the acceptance of the McMahon line.

2) GEOGRAPHICAL

a) Arunachal Pradesh provides security to Bhutan in its entire eastern stretch. If Tawang is absorbed by China, then Bhutan would be surrounded by China on both its sides which would be unfavourable for India’s security
b) since Tawang lies on the southern slope of the Himalayas and on the outer fringe of Tibet’s sphere of influence, it has always enjoyed a substantial degree of autonomy.

3) STRATEGICALLY

a) If any future conflict with China were to arise, then Arunachal Pradesh being the shortest route to China, makes it a location of key strategic importance to India which is highly disadvantageous for China.
b) If China manages to encroach upon Tawang; it would also give China easy access to the Siliguri Corridor or the Chicken’s neck of India

Recommendations

1) Carefully ,mutually and gradually demilitarise the armed forces deployed by both countries – Will help to pave the way to build more trust through increased diplomatic relations and reduced threat perceptions.

2) Setting up a committee to further analyse the historical relevance and current situation while providing solutions
3) Increased systemic and sincere conversations through diplomatic channels. For example External Affairs Ministries of both the nations.
4) Develop the economic and industrial trade windows which is one of the common major strengths of both the countries along with armed forces