MCMOHAN
LINE - DEFENCE AND SECURITY
News:
US Senate resolution for
underlining backing India on McMohan Line
What's
in the news?
●
Two United States Senators, a Republican
and a Democrat, have introduced a bipartisan resolution in the upper chamber of
Congress reiterating that the US recognises the McMahon Line as the
international boundary between China and India in Arunachal Pradesh.
Key
takeaways:
●
The resolution reaffirms India’s
well-known and established position that Arunachal Pradesh, which China calls
‘South Tibet’, is an integral part of India.
McMahon
Line:
●
The McMahon Line serves as the de facto boundary between China and India
in the Eastern Sector.
●
It specifically represents the boundary
between Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet, from Bhutan in the west to Myanmar in the
east.
Simla
Convention of 1914:
●
The McMahon Line was drawn during the
Simla Convention of 1914, officially described as the Convention Between Great Britain, China, and Tibet.
●
China was represented at the convention by
the government of the Republic of China, which was in power in the mainland
from 1912 to 1949, when its leaders were driven to the island of Taiwan during
the civil war that established the communists in Beijing and led to the
proclamation of the People’s Republic.
●
On behalf of India, the British rulers considered Tawang of
Arunachal Pradesh and the southern part of Tibet as part of India and which was
also agreed by the Tibetans. Due to this, the Tawang region of Arunachal
Pradesh became part of India.
1962
Indo-China War:
●
During the 1962 Sino-Indian War, China was
able to quickly overpower India and make deep inroads into Indian territory
across the McMahon Line.
●
However, its forces retreated to pre-war
positions after the unilateral ceasefire was announced.
Challenges
ahead:
●
While there were disputes regarding the
McMahon line from the very beginning, after the communists took power in 1949,
they pulled China out of all international agreements and the so-called “unequal treaties” that had been imposed
on it during its “century of humiliation”,
and demanded a renegotiation of all its borders.
●
China has historically disputed the
boundary and claims the state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of the Tibetan
Autonomous Region (TAR).