Forum: Security Council Issue: Measures to address the Sino-Indian border dispute Student Officer: Htet Wadi Naing (Wendy) Position: Chair

Introduction Reports of tension between India and China over two separate pieces of territory are rife in the media nowadays. The territory in question refers to a land area of approximately 125,000

2 km ,​ which can be divided into three sectors: Western, Middle, and Eastern as shown in the ​ figure below. The eastern sector, currently known as the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh, consists of the McMahon Line, which runs from the tri-junction between India, China, and Bhutan from the west of Brahmaputra River in the east, largely along the crest of the Himalayas. The border of the middle sector is about 450 km long and begins from the tri-junction between the Southwestern of Ngari Prefecture, Tibet, La Dwags and Punjab to the tri-junction between Nepal, China, and India. The middle sector is the only sector where India and China have mutually agreed upon set borders; thus, the disputation in the middle sector is minor, with only

2 2000 km o​ f land under dispute. However, the boundary dispute in the western sector is the ​ most prominent dispute amongst the three sectors. , the most disputed area in the western sector, occupies approximately

2 33,500 km o​ f land ​ and is currently governed by China even though India claims that the two countries share this border. There is no distinct demarcation of border lines along certain stretches of the territory under discussion nor is there a mutually agreed (LAC) between China and India. Following its Independence from the British, India believed that it had inherited firm boundaries, but this was contrary to China’s belief. China adamantly assumed that the borders were theirs to keep (Zhang). Special representatives from both parties have met a number of times to arrive at a framework for the basis of the delineation and demarcation of the border, but none have provided successful means so far. Almost six decades have passed since the first dispute, but the issue remains undecided, rendering the Sino-Indian border dispute to be the most prolonged dispute in the world. It is of utmost importance that the Security Council, responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security under the United Nations Charter, approaches this issue with thorough consideration to provide meaningful solutions.

Definition of Key Terms Territorial dispute The Merriam Webster dictionary defines “territorial dispute” as “a disagreement about who controls a particular territory.” A territorial dispute is often the result of ambiguous language in a treaty that set up the first boundary and is closely tied to the possession of natural resources.

Intrusion The term intrusion refers to “the act of wrongfully entering upon, seizing, or taking possession of property of another.”

Incursion The Merriam Webster dictionary defines incursion as “hostile entrance to a territory.” Therefore, the terms “intrusion” and “incursion” have related meanings and can be often used interchangeably.

Violation Violation is defined as the act of breaking or failing to comply with a rule or formal agreement. This term is synonymous to the terms “transgression” and “infringement.”

Line of Actual Control (LAC) ​ The Line of Actual Control is a 4,057 km long, porous border that transverses three areas of northern Indian states. Formed after the 1962 war, the LAC is considered to be the demarcation line that divides Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory.

McMahon Line The McMahon Line is the border line proposed by British colonial administrator Henry McMahon in 1914 and is located between Tibetan region of China and the northeast region of India.

History The Sino-Indian border dispute is not recent as the issue has dated back to more than sixty years. Nevertheless, tensions have escalated considerably compared to past years.

Independence of India and Formation of People’s Republic of China Shortly after the independence of the Republic of India and the formation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1979, the Indian government set a policy to maintain cordial relations with China. However, when the People’s Republic of China declared its occupancy in Tibet, the Republic of India sent a letter of disapproval, which proposed negotiations on the Tibet issue. It is known that China was more active in deploying troops on the Aksai Chin border than any other Indian republic was. In addition to this, China had undertaken massive projects for road construction to support its presence in Tibet. Following this event, India still abided by its policy to maintain genial relations with China regardless of China’s occupation in Tibet. Since China had been isolated from many issues related to the world, India even attempted to become China’s representative in such matters as India was extremely concerned about its unsteady relationship with China.

India’s Memo to the Chinese Government On October 18th, 1958, India sent a memo to the Chinese government, claiming Aksai Chin as Indian territory. In the memo to Zhou Enlai, the first Premier of the People’s Republic of China, , the first Prime Minister of India, wrote, “There can be no question of these large parts of India (shown as within China on the Chinese map) being anything but India and there is no dispute about it” (Zhang). Several months after this event, Zhou Enlai responded by highlighting several points such as: 1) “Both countries’ borders had never been formally demarcated; 2) Border disputes do exist between China and India; 3) The Aksai Chin was China’s land and had always been under Chinese jurisdiction and 4) Though the McMahon line was illegal, China would consider accepting it if it could legitimize the McMahon line while India waived or sharply modified its claim to Akai Thin” (Zhang). However, this proposal was rejected by Jawaharlal Nehru, who deemed these accusations to be untrue and unfair. India claimed that there should be no compromise or negotiations. Hence, tensions between China and India continued to rise in all sectors of the Sino-Indian border.

Sino-Indo War (October 20, 1962 to November 21, 1962) On October 20, 1962, China launched an attack by surrounding an Indian post at Chushu with 350 Chinese troops and convincing the Gurkhas to stop fighting for India. Since India never suspected that China would ever launch an attack, the Indian army was not prepared for war. After a clash between the two armies at , nine Indian policemen were killed. On November 21, 1962, China declared a unilateral ceasefire and the war ended with China’s victory.

Timeline of Relevant Resolutions, Treaties, and Events

Date Description of Event

30 December 1949 India becomes the second non-communist nation to recognize the People’s Republic of China after its proclamation on 1 October 1949.

7 October 1950 Chinese troops cross the Sino-Tibetan boundary and move towards Lhasa.

May 1951 China forces the Tibetan Governor of Chamdo to concede full suzerainty over Tibet.

15 May 1954 China and India sign the Panchsheel document.

2 March 1955 India objects to the inclusion of a portion of India’s northern frontier on the official map of China, saying it was a clear infringement of Panchsheel. 18 December 1956 Chinese nationals who entered Ladakh were illegally detained and later sent back to China.

4 September 1958 India officially objects to the inclusion of a big chuck of Northern Assam and NEFA in the China Pictorial - an official organ of the People’s Republic of China.

8 September 1959 China refuses to accept the McMohan Line with Zhou Enlai stating that China was not a signatory to the 1842 Peace Treaty between British, India, and England.

15-18 November 1962 A massive Chinese attack on the eastern front, Tawang, Walong.

30 November 1965 Chinese troops intrude into north Sikkim and NEFA.

1970 Informal contacts between the Indian and Chinese diplomats established.

November 1996 Chinese President Jiang Zemin visits India, signs Agreement on Confidence Building Measures in the military field along the LAC in the India-China Border Areas.

1 April 2000 India and China commemorate 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

April 2013 The Chinese troops intrude into Depsang Bulge in East Ladakh, approximately 19 km inside our perception of the LAC.

Key Issues Line of Actual Control (LAC) One of the main reasons why the Sino-Indian border dispute remains unresolved to this very day is the fact that there is no Line of Actual Control that is agreed upon by both nations. The perceptions of the Line of Actual Control differ at many places and because of these differing opinions, tensions cannot be minimized. Periodically, either due to a misunderstanding or local posturing by India or China, frictions have erupted into conflict. It is of the Security Council’s best interest to provide an agreed-upon Line of Actual Control that will satisfy the needs of both nations.

Water Issues Between India and China Universally, water is regarded as a valuable commodity as it is essential for human existence. Thus, the possession of water bestows wealth and power. In the case of India and China, water issues have proliferated and have contributed to tensions resulting from the border dispute. There are four rivers that flow across China and India, therefore, the two nations must achieve a better understanding of water sharing that benefits both the nations equally. However, China’s advantage over these rivers have deprived India of the benefits.

Territorial Dispute Between India and Pakistan Although the territorial dispute between India and Pakistan may seem unrelated to the Sino-Indian border dispute at first glance, this issue is a contributing key factor to the tensions between China and India. Due to the major dispute between India and Pakistan over the same piece of territory, China has been providing high-tech weapons, such as military drones and powerful missile tracking systems to Pakistan. It is known that China is the biggest arms supplier to Pakistan and because of this, India remains wary about China’s strong strategic bilateral relations with Pakistan.

Major Parties and Their Views China The Chinese government hopes to resolve the border-issue in a calm manner as it is fearful of rousing a public that is already sensitive about border issues. However in 2017, after India and China were caught in a lengthy confrontation about the ambiguous border lines, China’s nationalist tabloid Global Times said, “We firmly believe that the face-off in the Donglang area will end up with the Indian troops in retreat. The Indian military can choose to return to its territory with dignity or be kicked out of the area by Chinese soldiers,” on July 5th, 2017.

India Following the Sino-Indian war when China launched an attack that India had not anticipated, the Indian government believed it to be a betrayal of India’s attempts at maintaining and establishing a peace treaty with China and started to question the concept of “Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai” (meaning “Indians and Chinese are brothers”). Nevertheless, the war brought many benefits to India. It is known that the 1962 conflict united the country as never before due to the fact that India demonstrated willingness for military aid from different sectors. Evaluation of Previous Attempts

There were a number of attempts to resolve the issue at hand but the most prominent attempts were the engagement in Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) on the border with bilateral agreements signed in 1993, 1996, 2005, 2012, and 2013 by both countries. However, despite two decades of these attempts, incidents on the border, such as intrusions and incursions, are reported by both the Indian and Chinese media.

Relevant UN Treaties Although UN Security Council resolutions that are aimed directly towards the Sino-Indian border dispute are unknown to this day, there have been several UN resolutions that aim to tackle the question of India and Pakistan, two countries disputing over the same territory as mentioned before. The United Nations Security Council Resolution 98, adopted on December 23, 1952 addressed the India-Pakistan question and urged the “Governments of India and Pakistan to enter into immediate negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations Representative for India and Pakistan in order to reach an agreement on the specific number of troops to remain of each side of the cease-fire line at the end of the previously established period of demilitarization” (Person).

Possible Solutions 1. Establishment of a political will from both parties by making certain sacrifices and amends to their policies. 2. Adopt a “Give and Take” method where the Chinese and Indian government claim different parts of the border. 3. Bringing awareness to the funding of weapons, nuclear delivery vehicles, and such to Pakistan by China and cease all military supply in order to maintain cordial relations between the two nations.

Questions Resolution Must Answer 1. How can the Security Council resolve relations between China and India? 2. In what ways can the Security Council be used to prevent future wars between India and China? 3. When is it appropriate for the Security Council to use its power?

Further Reading 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/china-pushes-hard-in-border-dispute -with-india/2017/07/06/52adc41e-619b-11e7-80a2-8c226031ac3f_story.html?noredirect= on&utm_term=.46b1fdaa44e2 2. https://www.the-american-interest.com/2017/07/27/tibetan-roots-china-india-border-dispu te/ 3. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4407848?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents 4. https://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/19/asia/india-china-border-standoff/index.html 5. https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/09/01/the-china-india-border-standoff-what-does-beijing-w ant/

Bibliography 1. Bhonsale, Mihir. “Understanding Sino-Indian Border Issues: An Analysis of Incidents Reported in the Indian Media.” ORF, ​ ​ www.orfonline.org/research/understanding-sino-indian-border-issues-an-analysis-of-incid ents-reported-in-the-indian-media/. ​ 2. Person. “Major Bilateral Issues between China and India.” OMICS International, OMICS ​ ​ International, 7 Jan. 2014, www.omicsonline.org/open-access/major-bilateral-issues-between-china-and-india-2151 -6200.1000064.php?aid=23548. 3. Pike, John. “Military.” Texas Revolution, ​ ​ www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/india-china_conflicts.htm. ​ 4. Zhang. “India-China War of 1962: How It Started and What Happened Later.” India ​ Today, India Today, 21 Nov. 2018, ​ www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/india-china-war-of-1962-8390 77-2016-11-21