India-China Relations / How old is the enmity between India and China? Now both are on the path of friendship

India-China Relations: Amid the continuous statements by US President Donald Trump regarding India-Russia relations, the announcement of tariffs and fines, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China later this month. There he will participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference. The government may soon make an official announcement about this visit. This will be the first visit of the Indian Prime Minister to China after the year 2018. The relations between the two countries had deteriorated after the intrusion of Chinese soldiers in the Galvan Valley in the year 2020. However, now it seems to be improving. Let us know how old is the enmity between India and China and how it started.

Signs of improvement in relations

Despite the hostility between India and China, the ice on the relations seems to be melting in recent times. After the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Russia last year, it has seen further improvement. Now China has expressed strong displeasure after US President Donald Trump announced the imposition of tariffs on India. China's Foreign Minister has called this announcement of America a violation of international laws. China says that America is resorting to tariffs to suppress other countries. Now there is talk that both countries can respond to Trump along with Russia.

Roots of India-China enmity: Tibet and McMahon Line

The roots of enmity between India and China are very deep and the reason for this is Tibet. This story begins from the British rule. In the year 1914, the Shimla Agreement was signed between the then Government of India (British rule) and Tibet. This agreement was signed by British administrator Sir Henry McMahon and representatives of Tibet. Under this agreement, a border line was drawn between the Northeast Frontier Area and Outer Tibet including Tawang, which is known as the McMahon Line. The British government also published a map showing this line in the year 1938.

Tension increased after independence

India became a self-complex in the year 1947 and the People's Republic of China was formed in the year 1949. After this, China started rejecting the Shimla Agreement. It said that it has the right over Tibet and it will not accept any agreement between the government there and the British. In the year 1951, China occupied Tibet, after which the situation worsened further. India had recognized Tibet as a separate country, while China claimed that it was giving freedom to Tibet.

In the year 1972, India made the North East Frontier Agency a union territory and named it Arunachal Pradesh and in 1987 gave it the status of a full state. This further increased China's panic. It started violating the McMahon Line and started increasing its activities around the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Not only this, China issued such maps many times, in which it claimed many areas of Arunachal Pradesh as its own.

The dispute increased in 1958

In the year 1958, China crossed all limits. It published a new official map, in which it claimed its right over the entire northeastern region of India, Ladakh, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. China demanded a survey of these areas from the then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, which Nehru flatly rejected on 14 December 1958. He clearly said that all these areas are part of India and no one should doubt it.

The 1962 war and after

China kept infiltrating repeatedly, staking claim on these areas. Due to this tension, China attacked India on 20 October 1962. This attack took place simultaneously on Ladakh and McMahon Line. The war lasted till 21 November, after which China itself withdrew its feet. Since then, tension remained between the two countries. There are clashes between the soldiers of both sides on the border. However, there has been some reduction in this in recent times.