US recognises McMahon Line: Impact on India China border issue

The boundary between India and China known as the McMahon Line continues to be a contentious issue. Since it does not officially recognize the line, China has claimed parts of India's state of Arunachal Pradesh. The border between these two countries has been heavily militarized, and there have been occasional skirmishes between their forces. Meanwhile, in the recent Bipartisan Resolution, United States mentioned that it seeks Arunachal Pradesh as the integral part of Indian territory.

China claims about 90,000 square kilometers of territory in the state of Arunachal Pradesh and named it as "south tibet". But the Bipartisan draft resolution stated that the US recognized the boundary between India and China as the McMahon Line following the 1962 Sino-Indian war It has been reported that China has been preventing the residents of the state of Arunachal Pradesh from obtaining visas. It also carried out provocative actions in various areas of the boundary. In the press release Senator Merkley said that U.S. is committed to supporting the region through its assistance and partnership with like-minded donors and international partners.

Although the Senate did not support India's position on the boundary, it still showed the country's commitment to maintaining a balanced relationship with China. The resolution came at a time when the US was trying to contain China. It was also trying to strengthen its military presence in the South China sea to prevent China from militarizing Taiwan. As a result, the US was trying to move its supply chains to other friendly countries, such as India. Furthermore, violent border conflicts between China and India have been happening in recent years. Despite the lack of progress in resolving their disputes, the US still regards India as a strategic ally. It held a joint exercise with the US troops in December last year, which was just a hundred kilometers from the boundary with China. The Chinese government said that the exercise violated the border agreements between both countries. Despite the fact that the US and other countries in the Quad, which includes India, Australia, and Japan, are not considered allies, they are viewed as anti-China entities. The rising threat of China's invasion of Taiwan has prompted the US and other Western nations to step up their efforts to prevent it from obtaining economic and military power.

Western globe’s stand on the issue:

The resolution passed by the US Senate clearly showed the willingness of the US to challenge China. It also shows that the western allies would not be willing to normalize the relationship between China and India. As a counter to China, India is seen as the ideal ally for the US. The Western nations were not pleased with India's decision to maintain neutrality during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. If China and India were to resolve their disputes, which could happen within the next couple of years, then t he US might have a hard time maintaining its influence in the world due to the growing number of countries that are allied with it, such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. China and India have started to dial down their differences. In recent years, Foreign Minister S.Jaishankar said that India could not face China due to its superior strength. He noted that as a smaller nation, it would have a hard time competing with the world's largest economy.

During an interview, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said that India was not reacting to China's actions. According to him, the country was simply following a common sense approach when it came to addressing its border issues. A few days before Jaishankar's statement, India and China held their first official border talks in over three years. They discussed the disengagement of troops and equipment in areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Meanwhile, Russia has shown its willingness to help resolve the border conflicts between China and India by saying it's willing to mediate. Segey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said recently that he wanted the two countries to become friends. He noted that if Russia were to be involved in the diplomacy between China and India, it could be beneficial for both parties.

Conclusion:

The border dispute between China and India continues to be a contentious issue. For China, it is the preservation of its Tibetan land. For India, it is the protection of its state of Arunachal, which it has been doing for the last century. Both countries must exercise due caution as a miscalculation could lead to a tragic incident. According to Gardner and Guyot-Réchard, the only way to establish sovereignty over a land is by incorporating it into one's periphery. As both India and China continue to expand their military presence, they will inevitably have disagreements. Some believe that the increasing number of skirmishes is a sign of progress as both countries have improved their infrastructure along the border. According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the better their facilities at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the more likely they are to encounter confrontations. This theory is based on the Indian Army's ability to monitor and detect Chinese PLA activities. Moreover according to Kyle Gardner, the construction of border infrastructure could cause tensions to increase in the short term. However, it could also pave the way for a semi-permanent boundary that would allow both countries to resolve their territorial issues. Until the future of the border is clear, the question of who will develop the land that will be used for their new outposts remains unanswered. Due to the lack of agreement on the boundary, both China and India are stuck in a situation where they have to observe.

Pic Courtsey-IDSA GIS lab

(The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)