Relevance:
China mulling another highway in Aksai Chin.
About Aksai Chin:
- China controls Aksai Chin area, while India claims that it is part of Indian territory (Union territory of Ladakh).
- India and China have an unresolved 3488 km long border disputethat has cast a shadow on ties for decades. Prolonged rounds of negotiations have failed to resolve the dispute between the two neighbours.
- However, in the Wuhan and Mahabalipuram summits, both China and India had reaffirmed that they will make efforts to “ensure peace and tranquillity in the border areas”.
- Also, on 1st April, 2020 India and China completed their 70 years of diplomatic relations.
History of Aksai Chin:
- During the time of British rule in India, two borders between India and China were proposed- Johnson’s Line and McDonald Line.
- The Johnson’s line (proposed in 1865) shows Aksai Chin in erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir (now Ladakh) i.e. under India’s control whereas McDonald Line (proposed in 1893) places it under China’s control.
- India considers Johnson Line as a correct, rightful national border with China, while on the other hand, China considers the McDonald Line as the correct border with India.
- At present, Line of Actual Control (LAC) is the line separating Indian areas of Ladakh from Aksai Chin. It is concurrent with the Chinese Aksai Chin claim line.
Line of Actual Control (LAC):
- The LAC lies east of the confluence of the Galwan and Shyok rivers in the valley, up to which both India and China have been patrolling in recent years.
- After the June 15 clash, however, China has claimed that the entire valley lies on its side of the LAC.
- It is true that the LAC has never been demarcated and there are differences in perception of where it lies in more than a dozen spots, but there have not been previous incidents in the valley.
Reference: The Hindu
