India must be alert to China’s cartographic deception in Arunachal Pradesh

Source– The post is based on the article “India must be alert to China’s cartographic deception in Arunachal Pradesh” published in the “The Indian Express” on 8th April 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Bilateral groupings and agreements

Relevance– India and China relationship

News– Recently, China renamed some places in Arunachal Pradesh.

How has China been consistently involved in cartographic deceptions?

In the early 1950s, China started indulging in cartographic deception. It made claims to large parts of Indian territory. The Indian leadership looked at these claims as a negotiable misunderstanding and trusted Zhou Enlai.

India introduced “forward policy” in October 1962 to assert Indian authority over territories. Nehru believed that the Chinese would never attack India. In 1959, he condemned the British Tibetan expert George Patterson for spreading rumours about the Chinese.

Presently, President Xi Jinping continues to follow the old Maoist strategy of violating sovereign national boundaries of neighbours using cartography as a weapon.

The recent renaming of villages, unpopulated areas, rivers and hills in Arunachal Pradesh by the State Council is another example of that cartographic deception.

Is there any basis for the Chinese historical climate over Arunachal Pradesh?

Never in known history did Arunachal Pradesh have any remote contact with China. There was never any Chinese presence there.

Tibetans from Lhasa used to travel to Kolkata via Sikkim and sail onwards to mainland China. At most, the Monpas of Tawang spoke Tibetan.

The only time in recent history the Chinese army came close to Arunachal Pradesh’s borders was during the final years of the Qing dynasty in 1910-12. It entered Kham as part of a campaign to crush the revolt by the Khampas in eastern Ladakh.

Some pro-China historians claimed that Tawang was under the rule of Lhasa before 1950. The sixth Dalai Lama was born in Tawang in 1683. But, Tawang remained largely independent of any outside authority. Historical records also negate such claims.

Through the Shimla Agreement between the British and Tibetan governments in 1914, the McMahon Line became the international boundary between India and Tibet. Tawang fell south of the McMahon Line. The McMahon Line is branded as a “colonial” imposition by the Chinese.

What are the aspirations of local people of Arunachal Pradesh?

People of western Arunachal were never subjects of any outside power. They negotiated with the British when the latter made an outreach in the early 1900s.

After Independence, Indian administration focused on giving primacy to the development of the region rather than exerting authority. People in NEFA were more keen on some kind of a visible Indian authority over the region.

When the Chinese invaded Arunachal Pradesh in October 1962, they made special efforts to convince them about the greater racial affinity between them. But, the Chinese couldn’t win over the hearts and minds of the people of NEFA.

After the war Indian officials returned to the region in early 1963. People extended a warm welcome.