The Border Dispute with China

Abstract

The Sino-Indian border incidents which occurred during the summer of 1959 led to the publication ofa series of White Papers containing the official correspondence between the two countries. Not only did they reveal that Chinese intrusions into the north-eastern corner of Ladakh had been discovered prior to July, 1958² and the construction of a motor road as part of the Sinkiang-Tibet highway three months later,³ but they also contained an exchange of notes concerning the disputed grazing grounds of Bara Hoti, in which each side kept referring to the principles ofPanchshcel from July, 1954 onwards. Three notes are dated shortly after Chou En-lai’s visit to New Delhi, but prior to the Bandung Conference.⁴

The Chinese way is to do something rather mild at first , then to wait a bit, and if it passes without objection, to say or do something stronger. But if we take objection to the first statement or action, they urge that it has been misinterpreted, and cease, for a time at any rate, from troubling us further.¹