1. Competing Claims Over Territories CONFLICT OVER BORDER

2. India’s Border Conflicts

3. Conflict over Border  1947  1947 : India gained independence from Britain  Also inherited the frontier drawn by the British  Inherited several border disputes as well  We will study the Sino-Indian border dispute today  China protested that it had not agreed to the frontier drawn by the British  Problem : Difficult to have a clear border between China and India – much of their frontier lies in the inaccessible Himalayas

6. Conflict over Border  Two  Two border regions became areas of conflict between India and China – Aksai Chin plateau – Aksai Chin plateau on the western end of the India-China frontier – North-east Frontier Agency (NEFA) (now known as the union territory of Arunachal Pradesh according to Compton’s Encyclopedia Online). – North-east Frontier Agency (NEFA) on the eastern end of the India-China frontier near Burma (now known as the union territory of Arunachal Pradesh according to Compton’s Encyclopedia Online).

7. Conflict over Border  Late 1950s :  Late 1950s : China contested India’s presence in several places along the frontier  China : unwilling to negotiate seriously over the matter  Did not want to commit themselves to a definite boundary  1958  1958 : China announced it had built a road on the Aksai Chin plateau

8. Aksai Chin Plateau

11. Conflict over Border  Indian government of course protested  Argued that road violated its territorial rights  China argued that border had not been fixed  Thus did not violate India’s territorial rights  India in turn claimed that its border with China was clearly defined  1959 : Tension worsened when fighting broke out in the NEFA and the Aksai Chin plateau

12. Conflict over Border  Mid-1961  Mid-1961 : China occupied had occupied more territories which India regarded as its own  Indian government demanded return of these territories but China refused  1962  1962 : War broke out between China and India  Fortunately it ended just as quickly  Till 1990s  Till 1990s, the territorial conflicts between China and India was still not resolved  There had been a number of border incidents since the 1962 war

13. Conflict over Border Indian soldiers at a border post during the 1962 war with China. (Photo courtesy: Press Information Bureau)

14. CONCLUSION

15. CONCLUSION  War is often a last resort  Countries in conflict with each other sometimes try to resolve their differences peacefully  Consequences of war are many and intense  Thousands die and many wounded; both military and civilians  War also disrupts a country’s stability and development  Next chapter  Next chapter : How countries try to maintain peace