Boundary Agreement between India and China

There are significant differences between the two countries` perceptions of the location of the LAC, particularly in the western sector, where it crosses Ladakh. Moreover, the two countries have neither recognized nor frozen the operational lines of the Indian and Chinese militaries. The resulting ambiguity has contributed to a steady build-up of forces on both sides of the border, allowing the People`s Liberation Army in particular to advance covertly. In June, there was a military standoff between India and China in the disputed Doklam area near the Doka La Pass. On June 16, 2017, the Chinese brought heavy road construction equipment to the Doklam area and began building a road in the disputed area. [59] Previously, China had built a dirt road that ended at Doka La, where Indian troops were stationed. [59] They would conduct foot patrols from this point to the Royal Bhutanese Army (RBA) post at Jampheri Ridge. [59] The dispute that arose after June 16 stemmed from the fact that the Chinese had begun to build a road below Doka La, in which India and Bhutan claim disputed territory. [59] This led to an Indian intervention in the construction of Chinese roads on June 18, two days after construction began. Bhutan claims that the Chinese violated written agreements between the two countries, which were reached in 1988 and 1998 after a long series of talks. [60] The agreements reached stipulate that the status quo in the Doklam area is to be maintained from March 1959.

[60] It is these agreements that China violated by building a road below Doka La. A series of statements from the respective foreign ministries of each country were issued to defend each country`s actions. Due to the ambiguity of previous rounds of border talks that began with the Anglo-Chinese Convention of 1890, signed in Calcutta on March 17, 1890, each country refers to different agreements when trying to defend its position on the border dispute. [59] [60] After the June 28 invasion, the Chinese military claimed that India stopped the construction of a road that took place on Chinese territory. [61] On June 30, india`s foreign ministry claimed that the construction of roads in China, in violation of the status quo, had implications for India`s security. [62] As a result, Bhutan issued an approach on July 5 calling on China to restore the status quo by June 16. [63] In July and August, the Doklam issue has still not been resolved. On the 28th. In August, India issued a statement saying the two countries had agreed to a “rapid withdrawal” from the Doklam region. [61] There are five Border Personnel Meeting Points (MPOs) where rounds of dispute resolution talks can take place between military personnel with a defined route of escalation, such.B as between colonels, then between brigadiers, and finally between major generals. [71] [72] Of these five MPBs, two are located in the Indian Union Territory of Ladakh or in the western (northern) sector of India, which corresponds to the Xinxiang Southern Military District in China, one in Sikkim and two in Arunachal Pradesh in the central and eastern sectors of India, which corresponds to the Chinese Military District of Tibet.

Zhou replied that the ALC “is still basically the actual line of control as it existed on November 7, 1959 between the Chinese and Indian sides. Specifically, in the eastern sector, it essentially coincides with the McMahon line, and in the western and middle sectors, it essentially coincides with the usual traditional line that China has repeatedly emphasized. [7] [Non-primary source needed] If neither side gives in, the impasse could have destabilizing consequences for the region. If they strike again, there is a risk of escalation between the world`s most populous countries, the two established nuclear powers. .