Indian and Chinese troops face off at the border, 1962
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| India-Pakistan |
| ‘We will never forget what Indian troops did’ |
| 2008-04-26 |
| By General (retd) JFR Jacob China has been in the news of late over the Tibetan issue, which also impacts India in a major way. To put Sino-Indian relations into perspective, it is necessary to look at from a historical as well as a strategic context. Let me begin from the Second Opium War in1860 in which Indian troops took part. Four brigades of British and Indian infantry (Sikh Regiment, Madras Regiment, Bombay Native Infantry and the Ludhiana Rifles) and one cavalry brigade, which included Probyn’s Horse, took part in these operations, in which the Summer Palace in Peking was sacked and looted. I recall a Chinese general telling me in 1957: “We, Chinese, will never forget that Indian troops took part in the sacking of the Summer Palace.” In 1904, Indian troops were part of the Younghusband expedition that seized Lhasa. The Tibetans were forced to accept two trading posts, protected by Indian troops, in the Chumbi Valley. These were subsequently withdrawn after China moved into Tibet. In 1913 / 1914, during the Shimla Conference, talks bogged down as the Chinese refused to accept the creation of an inner and outer Tibet. Ivan Chen ,the Chinese representative, declined to sign the McMahon map, and merely initialled it. From 1920 onwards the British started progressively moving into parts of what is now known as Arunachal Pradesh. In 1937, the first Survey of India map was published, showing the border as per the McMahon line. The previous Survey of India map of 1937 showed the inner line in Arunachal as the boundary. In 1938, the proceedings of the Shimla Convention were published at the insistence of British administrator Olaf Kirkpatrick Kruuse Caroe. In 1949, the Communist Chinese forces moved into Tibet. In April 1951, Major Bob Kathing with an armed detachment moved into Tawang and took over the administration of the district. In April 1954, the five principles of peace were formulated with the Chinese. Hindi Chini bhai bhai was the slogan of the day. (India’s ambassador to China, KM Panikkar, had erroneously conveyed to the Chinese that India recognises Chinese sovereignty over Tibet instead of suzerainty, saying he could not explain to them the difference between the two!) In 1959, there was unrest in Tibet, the Chinese cracked down and the Dalai Lama fled to India. In 1960, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai proposed to India that China would retain the Aksai Chin region in the northwest and in return would accept the Mcmahon Line line in the east. This was rejected by India, and China claimed suzerainty over Bhutan. The Forward Policy was accelerated by India, and this was strongly objected to by the Chinese. On October 20, 1962, China invaded India. On November 21, 1962, China withdrew from Arunachal but stayed on in Aksai Chin. During the 1965 India-Pakistan war, our troops withdrew some 700 yards from the Nathu La (under Chinese threats). In 1967, skirmishes took place at Nathu La. (September 4 with 18 Rajput and October 1 with the 7/11 Gurkha Rifles) In 1975, I ordered the occupation of the heights east of the Nathu La in order to dominate the pass. From 1981 to 1987, there were 8 rounds of fruitless Indo-Chinese talks. In 1988, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi visited China, and signed agreements on cooperation in the fields of science and technology and civil aviation. In 2003, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited China. In July 2007, the Nathu La was reopened for inter-border trade. Strategically, China has built a railway line to Lhasa and is extending it to the Chumbi valley. China is rapidly developing the infrastructure in Tibet. New airfields and roads are being constructed in the vicinity of the Indian border. China dams the Sutlej River and talks of building a dam across the Tsang Po (Brahmaputra). China and Pakistan are widening the Karakoram Road and intend to connect it to Gwadar Port in the Gulf of Oman in order to give China access to the Arabian Sea. China is working for closer ties with Pakistan, as also with Bangladesh. Presently, China is likely to increase its influence in Nepal after the Maoists assume power. China has obtained from Burma the use of naval bases in the Bay of Bengal. China has embarked on a large scale expansion and modernisation of its armed forces including its nuclear arsenal and their delivery means. The ‘Han-isation’ of Tibet is proceeding rapidly, and there has been a ruthless crackdown on the native Tibetans. China is flexing its economic muscles. China is acquiring mineral, oil and commodity resources on a global basis to fuel its rapidly expanding industrial base. China's main import from India is iron ore, a commodity that is in demand internationally. In return, China exports consumer goods to India. China still occupies Aksai Chin and has persisted in its claims to Arunachal Pradesh. China also claims some 360 sq km of Bhutanese territory . (India has since 1949 unilaterally guaranteed its commitment to the defence of Bhutan . In conclusion, China is emerging as a potential security threat to India. |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #4 Understatement of the year. Why are the Indians such slow learners in politics? Because the Indian trope, ever since the Brits conquered South Asia, is that white Europeans are the only imperialists ever to walk the face of this earth. Iranians, Afghans and South Asians were never imperialists, and Chinese, not being white, are, of course, not imperialists, either. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2008-04-26 21:08 |
| #3 China is emerging as a potential security threat to India. Understatement of the year. Why are the Indians such slow learners in politics? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-04-26 12:16 |
| #2 Indian and Chinese troops face off at the border, 1962 |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-04-26 10:15 |
#1  A tourist at the ruins of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-04-26 10:15 |