India and China

The essentials

India was among the first countries to recognise the People's Republic of China after the Communist revolution of 1949. Nehru hoped for close friendship, summed up in the slogan “Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai”. On 29 April 1954 India and China signed an agreement that set out the Panchsheel, the five principles of peaceful coexistence: mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.

Key points

• China took control of Tibet in 1950. In 1959 the Dalai Lama sought and received political asylum in India, which China opposed.
• A boundary dispute arose over Aksai Chin in the western sector (Ladakh) and the North-East Frontier Agency (now Arunachal Pradesh) in the eastern sector.
• In October 1962 China launched an attack in both sectors. Indian forces suffered reverses, and China declared a unilateral ceasefire in November 1962.
• The war hurt India's image and Nehru's standing. Defence Minister V.K. Krishna Menon resigned, and Nehru's government faced its first no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha.
• Differences over China contributed to the split in the Communist Party of India in 1964, when the CPI(M) was formed.
• The war led India to modernise its armed forces and to give more attention to the North-East. Relations slowly normalised from the late 1970s; Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi visited China in 1988.

Exam tips

• Memorise the five principles of Panchsheel and the year 1954.
• Know both sectors of the dispute and the political effects of the war.

Common mistakes

• Saying the war ended with an Indian victory or a treaty; China declared a unilateral ceasefire.
• Confusing Aksai Chin (western) with NEFA (eastern).