Recently, India and China agreed for disengagement and resumption of patrolling in the Depsang Plains and Demchok areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), as it was before the tensions in May 2020.
India-China Border Dispute:
- Border Overview– Total border length: 3,488 km (Indian claim) vs 2,000 km (Chinese claim).
- No clear demarcation and mutually agreed Line of Actual Control (LAC).
- Western Sector (Ladakh):Dispute over Johnson Line (British/Indian claim) vs McDonald Line (Chinese claim). Main conflict area: Aksai Chin.
- Middle Sector (Uttarakhand/HP): Relatively peaceful sector. Only areas where both nations agree on maps.
- Eastern Sector (Arunachal Pradesh/Sikkim): Dispute centers on McMahon Line from 1914 Simla Convention. China claims the entire Arunachal Pradesh as Tibet’s territory. Uses Tawang-Lhasa monastery connections to support claims.
Key-steps taken to resolve India-China border dispute:
- 1993 – Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility.
- 1996 – Agreement on Confidence Building Measures (CBM) in the Military Field along the LAC.
- 2001 – Declaration on Principles for Relations and Comprehensive Cooperation between India and China.
- 2005 – Protocol on Modalities for the Implementation of CBM in the Military Field Along the LAC.
- 2012 – Agreement on establishment of Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).
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- 2013 – India-China Border Defence Cooperation Agreement.