GOVERNMENT POSTGRADUATE COLLEGE, HARIPUR

Assignment #01

Indo-China Border Dispute and Its Impact

Submitted to:

Professor Adil Javed

Submitted By:

Mohsin Ali Khan

Roll No:

181913

Semester:

IV

Subject:

Intro to International Relations

Department:

Political Science
Date: June 16, 2020
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 3
2. WHAT IS LAC?........................................................................................................................................ 3
3. WHERE IS LAC LOCATED? ...................................................................................................................... 4
4. WHAT IS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAC AND LOC? .................................................................................. 4
5. WHAT IS STATUS OF INDIAN ARMY AT LAC? ........................................................................................ 4
6. WHY CHINA’S CONSTRUCTION OF ROAD NEAR PONGONG TSO IS A MATTER OF CONCERN? ............ 4
7. WHY LAC IS DISPUTED AREA BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA? ................................................................ 4
8. AGREEMENTS ON LAC BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA ............................................................................ 5
9. CURRENT SITUATION OF BOTH STATES ON LAC ................................................................................... 6
10. WHY ARE TENSION RISING NOW? .................................................................................................... 6
11. HOW DANGEROUS COULD THIS GET? .................................................................................. 7
12. CONSEQUENSIS OF MILITARY CONFLICT (WAR) ............................................................................... 8
13. REFERENCES: ..................................................................................................................................... 9
 1. INTRODUCTION

Tensions between India and China are not new. The two countries—which share the world’s
longest unmarked border—fought a full-fledged war in 1962 and have since engaged in several
small skirmishes. Not since 1975 has a bullet been fired across their shared border. As a result,
the theory that Sino-Indian clash are flashes in the pan and unlikely to lead to more extensive
fighting has become a widely held consensus. Recent events, however, suggest that escalations
are highly possible. Both sides have substantial—and growing—military deployments along a
mostly disputed border. And for more than a decade, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has
been testing India’s military readiness and political resolve along several strategic areas. Peace
can no longer be taken for granted.

The most recent clashes took place earlier this month. On May 5, Indian and Chinese soldiers
clashed near the Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh. It is believed that the skirmish took place because
the PLA had objected to Indian military patrols in the area. Most of these clashes
apparently stem from differing assessments of the location of the so-called Line of Actual
Control—the de facto international border. And then on May 9, at an altitude of 15,000 feet, in
the Naku La region near Tibet, soldiers from both sides came to blows and threw stones at each
other mostly in efforts to induce the Indian troops to move back from the areas they were
patrolling. No arms were used but several dozen soldiers were injured, including a senior Indian
officer who was required to be airlifted to a hospital.

2. WHAT IS LAC?
The LAC stands for Line of Actual Control (LAC). It is the border demarcation line that
separates the territories controlled by India & China.

The Line of Actual Control is a loose demarcation line that separates Indian-controlled territory
from Chinese-controlled territory in the Indian Union territory of Ladakh, formed after the 1962
war. There are two common ways in which the term "Line of Actual Control" is used.
 3. WHERE IS LAC LOCATED?
The LAC is located in three difference sectors:

Eastern sector: Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim

Middle sector: Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh
Western sector: Ladakh

4. WHAT IS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAC AND LOC?

The LAC is the Line of Actual Control between India & China and as of now there is no clarity
over the line, there is no agreement over it by both countries and neither it appears on the map.

On the other hand, the Line of Control (LOC) is between India & Pakistan. The LOC is located
on the map of both the countries and is backed by the Shimla Agreement.

5. WHAT IS STATUS OF INDIAN ARMY AT LAC?

The Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi (DSDBO) road is strategically important for India. In order
to contain the threat from Ladakh's Galwan valley, Indian troops have been positioned to block
further movement of China's PLA toward India. However, there is no deployment of any Indian
Tanks.

6. WHY CHINA’S CONSTRUCTION OF ROAD NEAR PONGONG TSO IS A

MATTER OF CONCERN?
The Chinese army has just winded up with the extension of road near Pangong Tso Lake in just a
period of two weeks in the similar manner when it extended the road over LAC to Tawang in
October 1962 in just two weeks after capturing the border.

7. WHY LAC IS DISPUTED AREA BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA?

For India, the LAC is 3,488 km long, however for China; it is just 2,000 km long. India has been
building its territory over the LAC considering its 3488 km length. China has been demanding a
freeze on such construction activities and infrastructural development by India. The major
disagreements between India and China are over the LAC at the Eastern (Arunachal Pradesh and
Sikkim) & Western sectors (Ladakh). There is no clarification on the LAC boundary.

8. AGREEMENTS ON LAC BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA

China and India have signed four agreements on this boundary issue. These agreements were
signed in September 1993, November 1996, April 2005 and October 2013. Indian & Chinese
bilateral talks on border disputes are held on the basis of these four agreements. However, these
agreements are considered to be flawed and are unable to resolve the boundary issue between the
countries. Have a look at the details of these four agreements:

Year Agreement Flaw

Maintenance of peace &

tranquility along LAC
September 1993 These agreements are away
No activities of China and
from ground reality. There is
India will overstep the LAC
no mention of the actual line
Chalks out measures to build
location. There is no mention
confidence in military field
of line that separates
along the LAC
November 1996 deployment of India &
Both sides to limit their
Chinese troops
military forces within the
agreed geographical zones

First three stages are complete

and fourth one is ongoing.
Political Parameters &
April 2005 The 4th stage involves
Guiding Principles
demarcation of boundary on
map and ground

October 2013 Border Defense Cooperation -

 9. CURRENT SITUATION OF BOTH STATES ON LAC
The locals of eastern Ladakh have reported the movement of hundreds of army vehicles along
the LAC over the past few weeks. These vehicles are parked just 25 to 30 KM away from Indian
side of the LAC. The troop movement of Chinese military comes at a time when both the
countries are in a stand-off along the Line of Actual Control at Pan gong Tso and the Galwan
river valley. As of now, the Indian and Chinese armies are in talks to address the issue of LAC
and sort the differences over the border area in eastern Ladakh.

10. WHY ARE TENSION RISING NOW?

There are several reasons - but competing strategic goals lie at the root, and both sides blame
each other.

"The traditionally peaceful Galwan River has now become a hotspot because it is where the LAC
is closest to the new road India has built along the Shyok River to Daulet Beg Oldi (DBO) - the
most remote and vulnerable area along the LAC in Ladakh," Mr Shukla says.

India's decision to ramp up infrastructure seems to have infuriated Beijing.

Chinese state-run media outlet Global Times said categorically: "The Galwan Valley region is
Chinese territory, and the local border control situation was very clear."

"According to the Chinese military, India is the one which has forced its way into the Galwan
valley. So, India is changing the status quo along the LAC - that has angered the Chinese," says
Dr Long Xingchun, president of the Chengdu Institute of World Affairs (CIWA), a think tank.

Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia programme at the Wilson Center, another think
tank, says this face-off is not routine. He adds China's "massive deployment of soldiers is a show
of strength".

The road could boost Delhi's capability to move men and material rapidly in case of a conflict.

Differences have been growing in the past year over other areas of policy too.
When India controversially decided to end Jammu and Kashmir's limited autonomy in
August last year, it also redrew the region's map.
The new federally-administered Ladakh included Aksai Chin, an area India claims but China
controls.

Senior leaders of India's Hindu-nationalist BJP government have also been talking about
recapturing Pakistan-administered Kashmir. A strategic road, the Karakoram highway, passes
through this area that connects China with its long-term ally Pakistan. Beijing has invested about
$60bn (£48bn) in Pakistan's infrastructure - the so-called China Pakistan Economic corridor
(CPEC) - as part of its Belt and Road Initiative and the highway is key to transporting goods to
and from the southern Pakistani port of Gwadar. The port gives China a foothold in the Arabian
Sea.

11. HOW DANGEROUS COULD THIS GET?

"We routinely see both armies crossing the LAC - it's fairly common and such incidents are
resolved at the local military level. But this time, the build-up is the largest we have ever seen,"
says former Indian diplomat P Stobdan, an expert in Ladakh and India-China affairs.

"The stand-off is happening at some strategic areas that are important for India. If Pangong lake
is taken, Ladakh can't be defended. If the Chinese military is allowed to settle in the strategic
valley of Shyok, then the Nubra valley and even Siachen can be reached."

In what seems to be an intelligence failure, India seems to have been caught off guard again.
According to Indian media accounts, the country's soldiers were outnumbered and surrounded
when China swiftly diverted men and machines from a military exercise to the border region.

This triggered alarm in Delhi - and India has limited room for manoeuvre. It can either seek to
persuade Beijing to withdraw its troops through dialogue or try to remove them by force. Neither
is an easy option.

"China is the world's second-largest military power. Technologically it's superior to India.
Infrastructure on the other side is very advanced. Financially, China can divert its resources to
achieve its military goals, whereas the Indian economy has been struggling in recent years, and
the coronavirus crisis has worsened the situation," says Ajai Shukla.
 12. CONSEQUENSIS OF MILITARY CONFLICT (WAR)

History holds difficult lessons for India. It suffered a humiliating defeat during the 1962 border
conflict with China. India says China occupies 38,000km of its territory. Several rounds of talks
in the last three decades have failed to resolve the boundary issues.

China already controls the Aksai Chin area further east of Ladakh and this region, claimed by
India, is strategically important for Beijing as it connects its Xinjiang province with western
Tibet.

In 2017 India and China were engaged in a similar stand-off lasting more than two months in
Doklam plateau, a tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan.
India objected to China building a road in a region claimed by Bhutan. The Chinese stood firm.
Within six months, Indian media reported that Beijing had built a permanent all-weather
military complex there.

This time, too, talks are seen as the only way forward - both countries have so much to lose in a
military conflict.

"China has no intention to escalate tensions and I think India also doesn't want a conflict. But the
situation depends on both sides. The Indian government should not be guided by the nationalistic
media comments," says Dr Long Xingchun of the CIWA in Chengdu. "Both countries have the
ability to solve the dispute through high-level talks."

Chinese media have given hardly any coverage to the border issue, which is being interpreted as
a possible signal that a route to talks will be sought.

Pratyush Rao, associate director for South Asia at Control Risks consultancy, says both sides
have "a clear interest in prioritising their economic recovery" and avoiding military escalation.

"It is important to recognise that both sides have a creditable record of maintaining relative peace
and stability along their disputed border."
13. REFERENCES:
• https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/05/23/india-china-border-skirmishes/
• https://m.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/lac-border-dispute-between-india-china-what-is-lac-
line-of-actual-control-1591015434-1
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52852509