China Tibet India: 1962 War and The Strategic Military Future Gautam Das

The main reason why China-India geo- political relations have an underlying uneasiness is because of the issue of Tibet. It lies at the heart of the Chinese claim to the entire Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which it alleges as "Chinese territory occupied by India." This creates a major part of the unresolved boundary issue between the two Asian countries. Inability to agree on their common border led to a limited war between them in October-November 1962, resulting in a humiliating defeat for India.

China-India relations have thus remained semi-hostage to the unresolved boundary dispute. Apart from Indian uneasiness, there is continuing suspicion in China regarding India's attitude towards Tibet, mainly because of the Dalai Lama's residence in India as a "guest of India" and his many adherents, both Tibetan and Indian.

A recounting of these issues, and a summarization of the Sino-Indian boundary dispute, make up the first of the three stand-alone parts of the book. A summarised history and analysis of the 1962 war and an analysis of the conduct of the war on the Indian side forms the second part. The third part is devoted to the future: starting from the existing Sino- Indian diplomatic entente cordiale, and examining China's growing military potential and its strategic military implications for India.