The India-China Border: A Counter-Narrative Based on Historical Manchu Maps
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Modern Indian History (Simla Convention); World History (Manchu Dynasty in China); Geography of India and the World (Himalayas, Kunlun Mountains, Aksai Chin, Arunachal Pradesh).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 1 (Modern History/Post-Independence): The Freedom Struggle - its various stages; Post-independence consolidation.
General Studies Paper 2 (International Relations): India and its neighborhood- relations. This article provides crucial historical arguments for India's position in the border dispute, which is essential for a well-rounded Mains answer.
Key Highlights from the News
This article refutes the common argument that the India-China border was not precisely defined.
Official maps from the Manchu rule (1644-1911) strongly support India's traditional border positions.
Eastern Sector (Arunachal Pradesh): According to Kang-hsi's map of 1721, the southern border of Tibet extended only to the Himalayas. Tawang was not part of Tibet. The 1914 alignment was consistent with this.
Western Sector (Aksai Chin): According to Ch’ien-lung’s map of 1761, Eastern Turkestan (Xinjiang) did not extend south of the Kunlun mountains. Therefore, Aksai Chin was not part of China.
China's claims over India are a political strategy initiated by the weak Republic of China (RoC) in the 1940s and later continued by Communist China.
The author also argues that there is no public evidence for Zhou En-lai's "territorial swap proposal" in 1960.
A package deal accepting the 1899 and 1914 border alignments is the practical way forward.
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