Question

Analyse any three main causes of conflict between India and China.

Hint:

Three major conflict points: Territorial border dispute (Aksai Chin & Arunachal Pradesh), Tibet's annexation and Dalai Lama's asylum (1959), and Sino-Pakistan strategic alliance.

Answer 1

Concept: Despite early diplomatic friendship ("Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai"), bilateral relations between India and China deteriorated during the late 1950s, culminating in the Sino-Indian War of 1962.

Step 1: Boundary and Border Disputes (McMahon Line and Aksai Chin).
The primary dispute stems from contested demarcation lines:
• Western Sector: China occupied Aksai Chin in the Ladakh region and constructed a strategic military highway (Aksai Chin Highway/G219) through it.
• Eastern Sector: China refuses to recognize the McMahon Line as the international border, claiming large portions of Arunachal Pradesh (formerly NEFA).

Step 2: The Tibet Issue and Asylum to Dalai Lama.
In 1950, China annexed Tibet, removing a historic buffer zone between India and China. When China suppressed a Tibetan uprising in 1959, the spiritual leader Dalai Lama fled to India with thousands of refugees. India granted political asylum to Dalai Lama, which China condemned as interference in its internal sovereignty.

Step 3: Strategic Encirclements and Support to Pakistan.
China's all-weather strategic and military partnership with Pakistan—including defense support, nuclear cooperation, and the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passing through Pakistan-administered Kashmir—is seen by India as a threat to its security interests.