Sino-Indian Border Dispute: The Impossible Settlement, and Need for a New Framework

Abstract

Why have India and China failed to resolve their border disputes? This paper argues that the current public discourse on the Sino-Indian border dispute, based on legal and historical analysis, has paved way for an inconclusive and unending saga of conflicted claims and accusations. The said discourse is strictly limited to analysing the Sino-Indian border conflict of 1962, and examining either country's responsibility for the war and their border transgressions before and during the war. The primary purpose of the paper is to showcase the futility of any such analysis that blames either India or China for the continuing border crisis. For India and China to foster friendly ties, the dominant discourses need to veer away from the regular 'blame game' approach. This paper suggests a rather holistic approach to view the border dispute, where the emphasis would essentially be on the external international factors at play. Understanding these factors, as the paper aims to, could lead to a de-escalated security situation between India and China, and can possibly make way for a healthy competition.