Mc Mohan Line: The Line between India and China

The McMahon Line is a border between two countries, India and China. The Foreign Secretary in the Government of British India, Sir Henry McMahon determined the area of the line. The average length of the mac Mohan line is about 890 kilometres. India is still considering the Mcmohan line as a boundary between China and India. But China neither accepted nor declined the Mcmahon line. The Mac Mohan line is considered as the apple of discord between India and China. This entire article provides detailed information about the Mcmahon line and the history behind creating the line. 

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What is Mcmahon Line between India and China? 

The Mcmahon line is a border between the Arunachal Pradesh of India and the southern part of the Tibetan region. The southern part of the Tibetan region near the East-Himalayan region was occupied by the China East-Himalayan region and the Indian regions. Since China needs to re enter into the colonial period and want to bring the whole world under Chinese rule, China has a dispute on land or water with all its neighbouring countries. In the same, China has not accepted the Mcmahon line determined by Sir Henry McMahon in Simla-treaty, who was the Foreign Secretary in the Government of British India. The length of the mcmahon line between India and China is about 890 km. 

Shimla Treaty 

In 1914, India and Tibet concluded the Mcmahon line at the end of the Shimla Treaty. But, still, now China does not accept the agreement and line. This treaty was signed between the representatives of India and Tibet to have a clear boundary between the two countries. At that time, Tibet was an independent region. Later, China occupied the Tibet region, that’s why China has not signed the treaty and the dispute is going on about the McMahan line. 

According to the Shimla treaty, Indians and Tibetians agreed on the Mcmahon line as the boundary line between Indian and China. This treaty was signed by the British ruler, before India’s Independence. That is why the southern part of Tibet and Tawang of Arunachal Pradesh was considered as a part of India. Shimla Treaty is a major reason for being the Tawang region of Arunachal Pradesh in India. 

Dispute between China and India 

China has a dispute against the Shimla treaty, as it was not part of the agreement. So, China is still considering Tibet as a part of its territory.  In 1950, Tibet was fully occupied by China. So, the representatives of Tibet remain unauthorised to accept the decision taken in the Shimla treaty without the permission of the Chinese government. Meanwhile, China neither approved nor accepted the Mac Mohan line. Even though China was always involved in the debate, it was not part of the Shimla Agreement. So, they are extending their disagreement with the Shimla Agreement. Also, China is claiming its rights on Arunachal Pradesh after occupying the Tibetan region in 1950. 

India believed that the Mac Mohan line was the boundary between India and China. Because, while signing the Shimla Agreement in 1914 for marking the Mac Mohan line, Tibet was a weak independent country. So, Tibet took part in the treaty and decided on its boundary agreement with India. So India argued that, while creating Tibet, it was an independent country. So, China has no right to claim the mac Mohan line. So, to date, India was considering  McMahon Line as the clear and legal boundary line between India and China. In 1950, China occupied the whole Tibetian region, but the Tawang region of Arunachal Pradesh remains an integral part of India.

McMahon Line - After India’s Independence

After Independence, the Tibetan government wrote a letter to the External Affairs Ministry of India to claim the south district of the Tibetan region for India according to the Mcmahon line. In 1949, the Communist Party came to power in Beijing and declared its plan to "liberate" Tibet. So, India also considered the Mcmahon line as a border between the two countries and extended its asserting control on the Tawang area in the 1950s. 

During the 1950s dispute between India and China came to an end and the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru promoted the slogan ‘Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai’, which means Indians and Chinese are brothers. In 1954, India renamed the disputed area as North-East Frontier Agency.

In April 1954, India accepted China’s occupation of the Tibet region and gave it extraterritorial rights in Tibet, which was kept with India during British rule. Also, Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru insisted on China and settled the issue, as that did not bring the border issue during the 1954 conference. But the only borderline drawn between China and India was the Mcmahon line. 

After a few months, Nehru ordered and published the map of India and showed expansive Indian territorial claims as definite boundaries, notably in Aksai Chin. NEFA sector provided hillcrest as the boundary of India in new maps and covered some parts from north of Mcmahon line. 

In 1959, Tibetan failed and the 14th Dalai Lama started to march to the Indian parliament and started blaming Nehru. As he does not take any steps to secure a  commitment from China to respect the McMahon Line. Then, the Indian press started spreading the news about  Tibetan independence. Later, India raised its hands for Tibetan independence. So, Nehru established many military posts in the frontiers. Meanwhile, the Chinese government suspected Nehru’s activity in designing India’s boundary line.  The Chinese troops covered the new Indian military outpost at Longju near Tsari Chu in August 1959. Long was located in the north of  McMahon Line, which is in the Chinese region. 

On 24th October 1959, Zhou Enlai wrote a letter to Nehru about withdrawing their forces for 20 kilometres from the boundary region and creating the Line of actual control (LAC). Later,  Zhou Enlai agreed to maintain the Mac mohan line in the east and the line of actual control in the west of the boundary. 

In November 1961, Nehru formally adopted the "Forward Policy" to exit the military forces from the disputed areas, which includes from north of Zhou's LAC. Later Chinese forces started attacking Indian military posts, which were located on the  Dhola in the Namka Chu valley on 8th September 1962. In October of the same year, China made another attack on India, which was 90km away from the boundary line. Later, the Sino-Indian War begins with India and China near the Mcmahon line. The United States and Great Britain extended their military support to India. So, China withdrew its troops back to the Mcmahon line. 

In 1972, the Indian government renamed the North-East Frontier Agency to Arunachal Pradesh. The Chinese Government attached the same in their map as South Tibet. In 1981 Deng Xiaoping, a Chinese leader offered a package settlement in India regarding the border issue. They went through eight-round talks and no agreement was made between India and China. 

India Intelligence Bureau personnel set up an observation post in the Sumdorong Chu Valley in 1984.  Sumdorong Chu Valley was located three kilometres north of the Mcmahon line and south of the highest hill crest, and that is 30 miles away from Bhutan. In 1986, IB withdrew its force before winter, but China occupied the valley again before Indian troops arrived during summer. This news started spreading among Indians, and the Indian Army airlifted the task force to the valley against china. In May 1987, India defused the force and construction of roads for visibility.

In 1988, Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi made a visit to China and discussed the boundary issues and made little apparent positive progress. In 1993, the LAC was created at the end of the Sino-Indian agreement. As a result of the Sino-Indian agreement in 1996, both the countries together set up "confidence-building measures" to avoid border clashes. 

India started recognizing the Mcmahon line as the 'Actual Line of Control (LAC)'. China is saying that the disputed area is 2000 kilometres. And India says that it is for 4000 kilometres. All these what is mcmahon line between India and China. The above article provided the entire history dispute of the mac mohan line.