Arunachal Pradesh – A Cause of Contention between India and China

Abstract

Northeastern territory of India is the eastern frontier of the Indian Union. It a land of different ethnic, linguistic & cultural groups who have been following age old customs and traditions for long time in this region. The northeastern part of India consists of eight states and Arunachal Pradesh (earlier known as NEFA) is one among them. It shares international borders with Bhutan in the west, Myanmar in the east, and a disputed border with China (Indo-Tibet border) in the north at the McMahon Line. For a long time China has been establishing its claim over Arunachal Pradesh by rejecting the McMahan Line which determines a clear boundary line between India and China. During the 1962 Sino-Indian War, most of Arunachal Pradesh was captured by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) (North East India - People, History and Culture). Since China is an aggressor country and always claims Arunachal Pradesh as its own territory, this creates a serious threat for India’s northeastern border and particularly of Arunachal Pradesh. It is in this background the present paper is an attempt to examine Chinese claims over Arunachal Pradesh. The paper also deals with India-China relations and its implications for Arunachal Pradesh.