China and India's border disputes explained
  • 7 years ago
China and India share a long border of almost 3500km, but no official boundary has ever been agreed by the two countries. This has led to several territorial disputes, which date back to two centuries ago. A major reason for the discrepancies was that during the 19th century, the British drew both the Johnson-Ardagh line and the Macartney-Macdonald line alongside the Indian-Chinese borders - without China's knowledge. Because of that, British, Chinese and Indian maps often mixed up these lines, creating confusion over who controls what.Aksai Chin, for example, is controlled by China, but is also claimed by India. The Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh is also claimed by China.The latest tension is over the Doklam plateau situated between Bhutan, China and India, which has caught the world eyes in the end of June 2017. Doklam is recognized as part of Bhutan by both and India and Bhutan, but China claims it as part of their territory. India has now became involved in this dispute, turning the region into a standoff between the two countries. China wants to build a road through the Doklam plateau, but India is concerned because it is close to a vital stretch of Indian land that connects the rest of India to its northeastern states. Neither country has reached an agreement yet, and the conflict only seems to be rising.