China detained an Indian woman in Shanghai. Claiming her passport wasn't valid. The reason? Pema Wang Thongdok is from Arunachal Pradesh. And according to Beijing, the region is part of China, and so, she couldn't possibly hold an Indian passport. And this is not the first time that China has picked a fight with India over Arunachal Pradesh. In fact, the issue is at the heart of the Indo-China border dispute.
Like most modern-day territorial conflicts, it dates back to the colonial era. The year was 1914. British foreign secretary Sir Henry McMahon had a formidable task. Settling the border dispute between British India and Tibet.
At the time, Tibet was a self-governed region under China's Qing dynasty. And it ran all the way till Tawang in today's Arunachal Pradesh.
McMahon Line source of tension
After lengthy negotiations with Tibet and China, McMahon redrew the boundary.
The 890-kilometre McMahon Line starts from eastern Bhutan, and divides today’s Arunachal Pradesh from Tibet.
However, China immediately withdrew from the agreement—the Shimla Convention.
It also argued that Tibet had no right to sign treaties. Remember, it was still, at least officially, part of China.
And so, China refused to recognise the McMahon Line.
In 1947, India inherited this mess from Britain.
Then started a slow and painstaking process -- integrating over 500 princely states and territories. India finally took control of Tawang in 1951.
By then, the Qing dynasty had fallen and the Communist regime was firmly in control of China. Beijing saw India's integration of Tawang as an act of aggression.
After annexing Tibet in 1959, China set its sights on Arunachal. Then, during the 1962 war, China captured Aksai Chin in Ladakh, while India managed to fend off Chinese forces in Arunachal.
More than 6 decades later, Beijing still rakes up the issue of Arunachal. But, China’s obsession with Arunachal isn’t just territorial.
India stands firm on Arunachal
The communist regime considers Tawang crucial to its control of Tibet. It's where the sixth Dalai Lama was born. When the current Dalai Lama fled Chinese forces in 1959, he crossed the mountains by foot and reached Tawang.
India still offers refuge to Dalai Lama. He runs a Tibetan government-in-exile from Dharamshala. New Delhi's support to Dalai Lama, is a provocation for Beijing. But every time China claims Arunachal, India has one response.
"Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India," India's MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
