The Sino-Indian Boundary Issue continues...

‘Package Deal’ Proposals: It is recognised by realists on both sides that the only way to resolve the deadlock on the disagreements regarding the border was a certain amount of ‘give-and-take’ by both India and China. China’s main concern was in the western sector, where it needed the north-eastern part of Aksai Chin, for the road it was already building to connect western Tibet to Sinkiang.

The Chinese note of 2nd January 1960 suggesting a Nehru-Zhou En-lai meeting on the subject of the border is actually the first suggestion of a ‘package deal’.

The note conveyed Chinese readiness for an overall settlement based on ‘historical background’ and the ‘actual situations’ at the time, which were that China was in possession of the part of Aksai Chin that it needed, and in NEFA India was in possession of the entire ‘historical’ area claimed by China.

In Ladakh the only part of what China claimed which was not under their control was a small area near Demchok, at Ladakh’s south-eastern tip. This very note also confirmed the earlier formal delimitation of the Sikkim-Tibet border and the lack of any dispute regarding this border. During the failed Nehru-Zhou talks of
April 1960, Zhou had suggested that in a spirit of mutual
accomodation ‘the entire disputed territory in India’s occupation together with unoccupied territory might be considered Indian territory
in future’, while ‘the disputed territory in Chinese occupation should be considered Chinese territory’.

To be continued..