How Geography is Pushing India & China to War

Summary

In August 2023, China released a new standard map, escalating tensions with several countries by claiming territories not under its control. This map disputes regions controlled by India, Bhutan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, and Russia. Notable conflicts include the South China Sea, Taiwan, and the disputed India-China border. The complex historical and geopolitical origins of these disputes are rooted in colonial-era treaties and strategic concerns, especially over water resources from Tibet. The video delves into the implications of these disputes for China's relationships with India and Bhutan, highlighting the risk of potential military conflicts.

Takeaways

• 🌍 In August 2023, China unveiled a new standard map claiming territories administered by India, Bhutan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, and Russia.
• 🇨🇳 China's new map asserts claims over large areas including Taiwan, the South China Sea, and islands within it, causing disputes with several countries.
• 🏔️ The India-China border, known as the Line of Actual Control, is the world's longest openly disputed border, stretching 3,400 km across the Himalayas.
• ⚔️ The India-China border disputes involve significant territories like Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh, leading to military standoffs and clashes.
• 🇧🇹 China has quietly invaded and settled parts of Bhutan, including significant areas in the west, north, and east, representing about 12% of Bhutan's territory.
• 💥 The 1962 Sino-Indian War and subsequent conflicts highlight the intensity of the territorial disputes between China and India.
• 🚿 Tibet, referred to as the 'water tower of Asia,' is strategically vital due to its vast freshwater resources that supply major Asian rivers.
• 🛤️ China's Belt and Road Initiative, particularly the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, has strategic implications for India and regional dynamics.
• 💣 India's strategic concerns include potential encirclement by Chinese influence and the vulnerability of the Siliguri Corridor.
• 🇮🇳 China's claims in Bhutan and military infrastructure developments increase tensions with India, which maintains close ties with Bhutan.

Q & A

What was significant about China's new standard map released in August 2023?

The new standard map released by China in August 2023 included numerous territories not controlled by China but claimed by it, leading to territorial disputes with countries like India, Bhutan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, and Russia.

Which countries are involved in territorial disputes with China according to the new map?

The countries involved in territorial disputes with China according to the new map include India, Bhutan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, and Russia.

What are the most well-known territorial claims shown on China's new standard map?

The most well-known territorial claims include the entirety of Taiwan and China's extensive maritime claims in the South China Sea, which conflict with the claims of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.

What is the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China?

The Line of Actual Control (LAC) is the frontier between Indian-controlled territory and Chinese-controlled territory, where both countries have differing interpretations of the border and maintain a significant military presence.

What territories does China claim in the northwest sector of the India-China border dispute?

In the northwest sector, China claims the areas of Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract, both of which are currently controlled by China but also claimed by India.

How has China escalated its claims over Bhutan's territory?

China has escalated its claims over Bhutan's territory by quietly invading, occupying, and settling in three significant areas in Bhutan, including the northern, western, and eastern regions, representing roughly 12% of Bhutan's internationally recognized territory.

Why did the border dispute between China and India intensify in the 2020s?

The border dispute intensified due to both countries' growing geopolitical rivalry, China's increased military assertiveness under Xi Jinping, and India's assertive foreign policy under Narendra Modi, leading to military standoffs and clashes.

What is the significance of the Siliguri Corridor for India?

The Siliguri Corridor, also known as the Chicken's Neck, is a narrow land bridge that is India's only connection to its northeastern states. Its strategic importance makes it a significant vulnerability, especially in the context of Chinese territorial claims in the region.

Why does China consider Tibet strategically important?

China considers Tibet strategically important because it is the source of major rivers that provide water to billions of people across Asia, including the Yellow and Yangtze rivers in China, making the control over these water sources vital for China's security.

What was the historical context behind the territorial dispute over Aksai Chin?

The territorial dispute over Aksai Chin stems from differing interpretations of historical border treaties between British India and the Qing Empire, with the Johnson-Ardagh line placing Aksai Chin within India and the McCartney-MacDonald line placing it within China. These differing interpretations persisted through the 20th century, leading to ongoing disputes.

Outlines

00:00

🇨🇳 China's New Standard Map 2023

In August 2023, China unveiled a new standard map claiming numerous territories not actually controlled by China but administered by India, Bhutan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, and Russia. This has resulted in China having the most territorial disputes globally. The map includes well-known claims like Taiwan and the South China Sea, as well as lesser-known ones like the Saku Islands and surprise claims like Russia's Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island.

05:01

⚔️ India-China Territorial Disputes

The territorial disputes between India and China are vast, with the two countries having the longest openly disputed border in the world. The Line of Actual Control (LAC) divides the areas controlled by India and China, with both countries having differing claims across three sections. Major disputed territories include Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh, leading to frequent military standoffs and conflicts, notably in 1962 and recent clashes in 2017 and 2020.

10:02

🗺️ Historical Origins of the India-China Border Dispute

The border disputes between India and China stem from historical agreements and colonial-era boundaries. Key areas of contention include Aksai Chin and the McMahon Line. The British-proposed Johnson-Ardagh and McCartney-MacDonald lines further complicate the border definitions. The 1914 Simla Convention, signed by British India and Tibet, but not China, solidified the McMahon Line, which remains contentious to this day.

15:02

🔱 The Importance of Tibet in China-India Relations

Tibet's geopolitical significance, due to its vast freshwater reserves and strategic location, led China to annex it in 1950. This move heightened tensions with India, especially after the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959. The annexation secured China’s control over crucial water sources, linking Tibet with Xinjiang via the Aksai Chin highway, which became strategically valuable for China.

20:02

📈 China's Rising Power and Border Policies

Since the 1990s, China's economic rise has led to a more assertive foreign policy, particularly under Xi Jinping. China's economic and military power growth has reduced its interest in settling territorial disputes with India and Bhutan. The strategic importance of areas like Arunachal Pradesh and the Siliguri Corridor fuels India's security concerns and China's aggressive territorial claims.

25:03

🇮🇳 India's Strategic Concerns

India is wary of China’s territorial ambitions and its strategic moves around Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. The Siliguri Corridor, a narrow land bridge, is crucial for India’s connectivity to its northeastern states. China’s claims in Bhutan and the Chumbi Valley region threaten India’s strategic interests, prompting India to bolster its military presence and alliances, particularly with Bhutan.

30:04

🌏 China's Strategic Settlements in Bhutan

China's claims and settlements in Bhutan, particularly in the Dolam Plateau, Bayu, and Machuma Valley, aim to secure strategic high ground near the Chumbi Valley. These moves pressure Bhutan to concede territory, straining Bhutan's relations with India. The construction of infrastructure and villages in these areas strengthens China’s strategic position, challenging Bhutan’s sovereignty.

35:04

🤝 Bhutan's Diplomatic Balancing Act

Bhutan faces a difficult choice between yielding to China’s territorial demands and maintaining its alliance with India. Bhutan's strategic location between India and China makes it a focal point of regional geopolitics. Bhutan's isolationist policies and limited diplomatic relations aim to balance the influences of its powerful neighbors while avoiding direct conflict.

40:05

🏔️ The Ongoing Bhutan-China-India Tensions

Bhutan’s territorial integrity is under threat as China continues to claim and settle disputed areas. India’s strategic interest in Bhutan and the Siliguri Corridor fuels its opposition to China’s advances. The 2017 standoff in the Dolam Plateau highlighted the potential for conflict, with both India and China keen to avoid war but prepared for military confrontations.

45:06

📢 Nebula: Exclusive Content Platform

Nebula, a creator-owned subscription service, offers exclusive content, including the continuation of the India-China conflict series. Real Life Lore and other independent creators produce high-budget productions on Nebula, funded by lifetime memberships and subscriptions. Nebula’s exclusive content covers controversial and in-depth topics, providing viewers with detailed analyses and updates on global conflicts.

Keywords

💡Standard map of China

The new map unveiled by the People's Republic of China in August 2023, which includes numerous territories that are not controlled by China but are claimed by it. This map is significant as it highlights the ongoing territorial disputes between China and various countries, such as India, Bhutan, and Japan.

💡Territorial disputes

Conflicts between countries over the ownership of specific areas of land. The new standard map of China features claims over territories administered by India, Bhutan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, and Russia, exacerbating international tensions.

💡Line of Actual Control (LAC)

The demarcation line that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory. The LAC is not a legally recognized boundary, and its ambiguity has led to numerous standoffs and skirmishes between India and China, making it one of the world's longest disputed borders.

💡Arunachal Pradesh

A state in northeastern India, administered by India but claimed by China as South Tibet. The inclusion of Arunachal Pradesh in China's 2023 map as Chinese territory is a major point of contention between the two countries.

💡Aksai Chin

A region administered by China but claimed by India, located in the northwestern part of the India-China border. Aksai Chin is strategically significant due to its location and the presence of critical infrastructure, and it remains a major territorial dispute.

💡Doklam Plateau

A disputed area between Bhutan and China, where China has been building infrastructure and settlements. This area is strategically important as it overlooks the narrow Siliguri Corridor in India, and any change in control could have significant military implications for India.

💡Siliguri Corridor

A narrow stretch of land in India that connects the northeastern states to the rest of the country. The corridor is vulnerable to military threats, especially from Chinese advancements in the nearby regions of Bhutan, making it a strategic point of concern for India.

💡Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

China's global development strategy involving infrastructure projects in various countries. The BRI has led to concerns in India about China's growing influence in its neighboring countries, many of which have joined the initiative, increasing India's sense of strategic encirclement.

💡China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

A major part of the BRI, involving significant Chinese investments in Pakistan, including infrastructure projects that pass through disputed territories claimed by India. The CPEC has strategic implications for India, particularly in the context of its border disputes with both China and Pakistan.

💡Dalai Lama

The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism who fled to India following the 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. The presence of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile in India is a point of contention in Sino-Indian relations, contributing to China's suspicion and strategic concerns.

Highlights

In August 2023, China unveiled a new standard map, claiming territories not under its control, including areas administered by India, Bhutan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, and Russia.

China's new map has led to numerous territorial disputes, making it the country with the most open territorial conflicts worldwide.

Major disputes include China's claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea, conflicting with maritime claims of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.

China has renewed its claim to Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island in Russia, previously settled by a treaty in 2008.

The India-China border, stretching 3,400 km across the Himalayas, remains the world's longest openly disputed border, with no legal demarcation.

China's claims in the northwest include Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract, currently controlled by China but claimed by India.

The eastern sector dispute involves Arunachal Pradesh, a region the size of Austria with 1.2 million Indian residents, claimed by China as 'South Tibet.'

China refuses to stamp Indian passports from Arunachal Pradesh, issuing stapled visas instead to challenge India's sovereignty.

China has also made significant territorial claims in Bhutan, occupying and settling areas in the west, north, and east of the country, amounting to 12% of Bhutan's territory.

In 2020, China began claiming Bhutan's Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, indicating potential future territorial expansion.

The historical roots of the India-China dispute date back to colonial times, with conflicting border lines proposed by British authorities and the Qing Empire.

China's strategic interests in controlling Tibet stem from its vast freshwater reserves, crucial for the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers supplying water to 600 million Chinese citizens.

The 1959 Tibetan uprising and the Dalai Lama's asylum in India further escalated tensions, with China accusing India of fermenting the rebellion.

China's control over Aksai Chin became strategically important after building a highway linking Tibet and Xinjiang, prompting the 1962 Sino-Indian War.

India's defeat in the 1962 war remains a national humiliation, while China's military victory reinforced its control over disputed territories.

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has seen six out of seven of India's neighbors join, increasing India's sense of encirclement.

India fears a two-front war with China and Pakistan, both of whom claim significant Indian-controlled territories.

China views its border dispute with India as secondary, focusing primarily on Taiwan, and seeks to avoid escalation while maintaining its territorial claims.

The U.S.-India strategic partnership, including military exercises and support for India's UN Security Council bid, adds to China's concerns.

China's territorial encroachments in Bhutan and India have strategic motivations, aiming to secure advantageous positions and weaken India's defenses.

India's relationship with Bhutan is crucial for maintaining a buffer against China, with significant trade and diplomatic ties.

China's aggressive settlement and infrastructure development in disputed areas of Bhutan is part of a strategy to pressure Bhutan into territorial concessions.

The 2017 Doklam standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Bhutan highlighted the strategic significance of the region.

Recent clashes along the Line of Actual Control, such as the 2020 melee battle, have intensified India-China tensions.

India's economic rise and strategic partnerships with the U.S. and other countries are seen by China as countermeasures to its influence.

Transcripts

at the end of August in 2023 the

People's Republic of China unveiled

their new standard map the map of

China's territory From beijing's

perspective the thing about this new

standard map of China though is that it

contains numerous territories on it that

are not in fact actually controlled by

China but which China claims on the map

anyway the map shows huge territories

that are currently administered by India

Bhutan Vietnam Malaysia brunai Indonesia

the Philippines Taiwan Japan and even

Russia as all belonging to China giving

China the largest number of open

territorial disputes with other

countries in the world many of the

disputes shown in the map are more

wellknown such as China's claims to the

entirety of thawan and China's Maritime

claims projecting out across the entire

South China Sea and all of the islands

within it which clashes directly with

the competing Maritime claims of States

like Vietnam the Philippines Malaysia

Indonesia and berai other Chinese

territorial claims on the map are lesser

known and less publicized such as

China's claims to the Saku islands that

are currently administered by Japan

while other Chinese claims on the map

have appeared as brand new and are kind

of open to interpretation such as

China's surprise renewal of their claim

to the entire bullo usisi Island in

Russia that was thought to have been

settled by a treaty between Moscow and

Beijing in 2008 but evidently not but by

far the biggest series of territorial

disputes shown on China's new standard

map besides Taiwan and the South China

Sea are across the vast Frontier

separating China from India across the

Himalayan Mountains the Border here

between the world's two most populous

nations stretches in windes for 3,400 km

across the Earth's most rugged and harsh

geography through the world's highest

mountains and some of its largest

glaciers and as a consequence it has

always been difficult to accurately mark

on the ground where one country's

territory ends and where another's

begins consequently the India China

border to this date has never actually

been properly demarcated and as a result

it is the longest openly disputed border

remaining anywhere in the world today

with no legal recognition of what the

actual border between them should look

like the deao border between India and

China is known as the line of actual

control instead the frontier between

Indian control territory on one side and

Chinese control territory on the other

where tens of thousands of soldiers on

both sides stand off against each other

and on either side of the line of actual

control the rightful final borders

claimed by both India and China are

significantly different and vastly

opposed to one another across three

separate sections of the line of actual

control China and India disputed amount

of Territory between them that's roughly

the same size as Portugal and home to

nearly 2 million people in the Northwest

are two larger areas known as axai chin

in the trans Korum tract territories

currently controlled and administered by

China but also claimed by India in the

center are some much smaller disputed

territories while in the East are the

largest and arguably most controversial

series of disputes here south of the

line of actual control is the Indian

administered and controlled state of

arunachal Pradesh an area that is

roughly the same size as Austria and

home to about 1 A2 million Indian

citizens that is also fully claimed in

its entirety on China's new standard

2023 map as belonging to Beijing China

insists on referring to this territory

as South Tibet instead and they are so

insistent on their claims to it that

Beijing currently refuses to even stamp

the Indian passports of arunachal

Pradesh residents whenever they travel

to China opting instead to provide them

with stapled visas as a direct legal

challenge to India's sovereignty and

control over the Terr

and right next door to Aruna chal

Pradesh or South Tibet is the

independent Mountain Kingdom of Bhutan a

small nation home to only a little more

than 700,000 people that is currently

suffering a quiet and underreported on

creeping Invasion From China China

quietly pressed Bhutan into seeding away

this Northern Area known as kolakari to

Beijing in the 1980s but since then

China has quietly claimed invaded

occupied and even settled three other

significant territorial claims in Bhutan

in the west the North and the east of

the country representing roughly 12% of

bhutan's internationally recognized

territory that is currently claimed by

China and China isn't just claiming

these territories in the Western and

Northern sections of Bhutan they claim

their army has quietly occupied them and

begun building military infrastructure

in them while in the northern sector

they've even begun constructing

full-blown settlements and Villages that

have exploded in size just since 2020

with satellite images showing a rapid

development of hundreds of Chinese homes

and buildings in the territory over just

just the past 4 years China is therefore

constructing entire Villages within

bhutan's internationally recognized

territory changing the demographic facts

on the ground and reinforcing their

claims with settlers and soldiers while

they're continuing to add on new

territorial claims as well it was only

in 2020 when China suddenly also began

claiming the saang wildlife sanctuary in

the Far East of Bhutan as well a

territory that they don't yet control on

the ground like the other two but which

they might also attempt to quietly

invade and seize soon as well the Future

these numerous territorial disputes

between India and China are extremely

controversial in 1962 they led to a war

between them that killed thousands and

since the 2010s they've nearly led to

the outbreak of another war between them

on multiple occasions as the

geopolitical Rivalry between Beijing and

New Delhi has intensified including

extremely tense military standoffs

across the line of actual control in

2017 and again in 2020 the left dozens

of soldiers killed and wounded and

involved brutal hand-to-hand medieval

style combat between the two rival

armies and in order to understand why

India and China have all of these

territorial disputes today that add up

to an area the same size as Portugal why

the intensity of the dispute has been

growing increasingly higher in the 2020s

why China has quietly invaded occupied

and even colonized around 12% of

bhutan's territory and how this entire

situation could push the world's two

biggest countries with more than

onethird of the global human population

between them each armed with nuclear

weapons into a cataclysmic confrontation

in the future it helps to understand the

historical and Geographic origins of the

dispute and what's truly at stake from

both China and India's

perspectives the modern states of India

and the People's Republic of China were

born around the same historical era

Modern India was born after it received

its independence from the British

following the conclusion of the second

world war in 1947 while the People's

Republic of China was established only 2

years later in 1949 after the Communists

fin finally emerg victorious in the

long-running Chinese Civil War against

the Chinese nationalists and upon each

of their geopolitical appearances the

each inherited the outstanding baggage

and decisions of their legal

predecessors the colonial British

authorities in India's case and the

Ching Empire and the independent state

of Tibet in China's case the area of

axai chin in the western sector almost

immediately became controversial over

differing interpretations between

Beijing and New Delhi over border

treaties signed between both of their

predecessors the region itself has

almost always been a remote difficult to

access and largely unpopulated high

altitude desert that historically didn't

matter very much in the 19th century it

was understood between the colonial

authorities in British India and the

Ching Empire that the border between

their Realms ran somewhere through this

area but because of the regions

difficult to access geography the exact

boundary remained largely undefined

eventually in 1897 the British

authorities in India proposed The

Johnson ug line to be the boundary

between them along the crest of the Klan

mountains which placed aai chin fully

within the territory of the princely

state of jamu and Kashmir which was

effectively a British protectorate at

the time this line was however seemingly

never actually presented to the Chinese

government for approval and then just 2

years later in 1899 British authorities

in India proposed and presented a

completely different boundary line here

to the Ching Chinese called the

McCartney McDonald line which placed the

boundary further to the Southwest along

the crest of the kakora mountain range

instead and effectively put axai chin

within China instead the British

authorities presented the McCartney

McDonald line to the Ching government in

1899 through a note but theq never

actually officially acknowledged or

responded to it which has led to more

than a century of differing

interpretations ever since the Indian

government has insisted that the Ching's

lack of a response to the McCarney

McDonald line indicated their rejection

of it while the modern Chinese

government has insisted that the lack of

a response only indicated that the Ching

already believed it to be the accepted

boundary and that a response wasn't

necessary confusingly if official

British maps from 1899 up until India's

independence in 1947 used both the

Johnson Artic line and the McCarney

McDonald line almost interchangeably

well no attempts were made by either the

British or the Chinese to actually

establish any Authority between the

lines on the ground so when India

achieved its independence in 1947 it

claimed the entirety of the princely

state of jamu and Kashmir as its own

territory and they selected the Johnson

arog line as their official Eastern

Border that placed axai chin within

their territory well naturally after the

Communists took over control of China

after 1949 they selected the McCartney

McDonald line as the official boundary

that placed axai chin as an extension of

their own Shin Jong Province but despite

this disputed boundary relations between

China and India were initially

relatively warm India became the very

first non-communist country to recognize

the People's Republic of China's

government in April of 1950 but merely

months after they did that in October of

1950 China tested the relationship when

they invaded and then Annex the deao

independent state of Tibet after the

Ching Empire had collapsed in 1912 Tibet

managed to emerge out of the chaos as a

deao independent Buddhist theocracy that

survived for decades although the

Republic of China that initially

succeeded the Ching never recognized

tibet's Independence and Tibet remained

a largely unrecognized state by the rest

of the outside International Community

for its entire existence except by

Mongolia who had similarly declared

their independence following the Ching's

collapse during the roughly four Decades

of the early 20th century that Tibet

remained de facto independent it

unilaterally entered into a series of

Border negotiations with the colonial

British authorities in neighboring India

between 1913 and 1914 Tibetan

authorities met with representatives of

Britain and the Republic of China at the

similar convention to discuss the status

of Tibet in tibet's borders with British

India the British proposed the Tibet

would remain under the control of the

Tibetan government as effectively an

autonomous Chinese tributary or vassel

state while the British further proposed

that the previously undefined border

between British British India and Tibet

would follow a line drawn up by then

British India foreign secretary Henry

McMahan that became known as the McMahan

line the McMahan line placed a vast area

that had previously been under Tibetan

and Ching influence within British India

and in sent the Chinese negotiators

present at the simar convention refused

to sign the agreement and left which

left the British and Tibetan

representatives to sign the final

agreement anyway without Chinese

approval that solidified the McMahan

line as the border from each of their

persp perspectives the nature in which

this agreement was signed without

Chinese approval has remained

controversial for more than a century

ever since by signing the agreement and

effectively annexing the territory south

of the McMahan line the British violated

numerous previous treaties they had

signed such as the angl Russian

Convention of 1907 that bound Britain

into not negotiating with Tibet except

through the intermediary of the Chinese

government and the anglo-chinese

convention of 1906 which further bound

Britain to not Annex any Tibetan

territory since there were significant

legal doubts to the McMahan Line's

validity even during the time period the

British never even showed the McMahan

line on any of their maps of India until

23 years later after it was signed in

1937 while the British never even

published that the similar convention

had even happened at all in their treaty

record all the way until

1938 China has therefore argued ever

since as both the Republic of China and

later as the People's Republic of China

that the Tibetan government never had

the legal authority to unilaterally

agree with the British on the borders of

Tibet because they argue that China

never recognized tibet's Independence

China has thus maintained that the 1914

Sima convention that assigned the

territory south of the McAn line to

British India was an unequal treaty

forced upon them during the century of

humiliation and that India's continued

control of what they refer to as South

Tibet is a lasting Legacy of British

imperialism well conversely as the legal

successor to British India India

recognizes the legitimacy of the McMahan

line and argues that it follows the

natural geographic border of the Indian

subcontinent across the crest of the

Himalayan Mountains and the China's

claims to what they call a rachal

Pradesh south of the Himalayas is a

legacy of Chinese imperialism to a

territory that has been Indian for

nearly a century now either way after

China invaded Tibet in 1950 and annexed

it in 1951 they immediately inherited

the territorial disputes south of the

McMahan line controlled by India in

addition to the disputes over aite chin

between the Johnson arog and McCarney

McDonald lines as well as several other

smaller disputes in between and the

whole reason why the Chinese Communist

Party decided to invade and Annex Tibet

in the first place was rooted in

paranoia over the risk of India gaining

influence or control over Tibet instead

you see Tibet is often referred to as

the water tower of Asia or as the

world's third pole because it contains

the highest and largest reserve of

freshwater that can be found anywhere in

the world outside of the polar regions

the Tibetan Plateau has tens of

thousands of glaciers scattered all

across it and it contains the headwaters

that give rise to many of Asia's

mightiest Rivers including both the

yellow and yang SE rivers that flow

through China the Mong river that flows

through southeast Asia the Indus River

that flows through Pakistan and the

Brahma Putra river that eventually flows

through Northeast India and Bangladesh

the waters that originate in the Tibetan

Plateau are estimated to provide the

Lion Share of freshwater supplies to

approximately 2 billion people across

Asia while the yang sea and yellow

Rivers through China provide the primary

drinking water supply for about 600

million Chinese citizens not to mention

all of the electricity they provide

through Modern Mega projects like the

three gorgees Dam on the Yang sea river

which all on its own produces roughly

the same amount of electricity as the

entire country of Bangladesh does with

nearly 170 million people the security

of the water supplies in these two

rivers is a core strategic concern of

China's and so immediately after the

People's Republic was proclaimed in 194

49 the Chinese Communist Party opted to

permanently secure the river sources by

securing their control over Tibet so

that a hypothetical Regional rival in

the future like India would never be

able to do that instead initially the

Chinese granted Tibet significant

autonomy after they ceased control over

it and in 1952 the Indian government

chose to even recognize China's newly

established sovereignty over Tibet

hoping to allay China's senses of

insecurity in the region but then only a

few years later by 1959 significant ific

tensions that built up between the

Tibetans who had been used to an

absolute Tibetan Buddhist theocracy that

rever the Dalai Lama and the new

communist Chinese authorities that

espoused the eradication of feudalism

and the destruction of religion

religious Tibetans began worrying that

the Chinese authorities were preparing

to arrest the 14th Dal Lama and the

tensions eventually exploded into a

full-blown Tibetan revolt against

Chinese Authority in 1959 the people's

Liberation Army cracked down on the

Revolt harshly killing thousands of

Tibetans in the process and sending the

14th Dal Lama and some of his loyal

entage to flee across the border for

safety in India where he along with

thousands of Tibetan refugees were all

granted Asylum afterwards the 14th Dalai

Lama established the Tibetan government

in Exile in India right across the

border and he continues to survive there

in India to this very day in 2024 at the

age of 88 much to the unease of China

China miscalculated at the time in 1959

that India had fermented the rebellion

in Tibet and then New Delhi ultimately

intended to trans form tobet into a

protectorate of theirs which would have

established Indian control over the

sources of the Yang sea and yellow

rivers and India's subsequent welcoming

and hosting of the Dal Lama and his

government in Exile only fueled China's

paranoia about this even further in the

aftermath China clamped down on Tibet

more harshly and revoked the province's

formerly high levels of autonomy while

Chinese control of Tibet established

beijing's comparatively more easy access

to the disputed territory of axai chin

relative to India since axai chin Shin

was located on the opposite side of the

kakor mountains from India and

accessible to the rest of the flatter

Tibetan Plateau from China this then led

the Chinese across the 1950s to

construct a strategic Highway across

axai Chen that connected their provinces

of Tibet and Shen Jong which transformed

aai chin into a strategically valuable

territory for China as an infrastructure

linkage point between two of the

country's most politically unstable

regions and that led the Chinese

authorities to present a deal to India

the year after the Tibetan Revolt in

1960 on settling the Border dispute

between them China proposed creating a

demilitarized zone between them across

the length of the border and offered to

recognize India's control over arunachal

Pradesh south of the McMahan line in

exchange for India recognizing China's

control over the newly strategically

valuable axite chin with an updated

border region several miles west of the

old McCartney McDonald line in order to

give China a large buffer away from

their strategically valuable Highway

India however categorically refused the

Chinese offer on all counts insisted

that both arunachal Pradesh and axai

Chin were Indian territories and began

moving troops to advance towards India's

claimed borders if India Advanced all

the way towards their claimed boundary

in axai chin towards the old Johnson

arog line then the Indians would have

severed the highway connecting Tibetan

Shin Jong and they would control a

geographic Launchpad on the other side

of the kakar mountains within the

Tibetan Plateau itself that they could

used to project power into the rest of

Tibet from and calculating that that was

unacceptable the Chinese decided to

respond by launching a war against India

in

1962 thousands of soldiers died in the

ensuing Sino Indian War and by the end

of it the Chinese had emerged decisively

Victorious pushing their deao line of

control all the way to their desired

western frontier and AI chin to the foo

Hills of the kakor mountains and even

advancing Deeper South of the McMahan

line in the East into arunachal pesh

though they decided to withdraw back

North across the McMahan line afterwards

so as not to antagonize outside powers

to greatly like the United States the

defeat in the 1962 War served as a

national shock and humiliation to India

while it provided a lesson at China that

deterring India's territorial Ambitions

in the region required occasional

displays of violence to put down for

decades afterward the border disput

between India and China remained present

but at a lower level of intensity as

China dealt with numerous internal

crises and economic problems that

disincentivized external shows of

strength Beijing pursued territorial

compromises and settl with many of their

other neighbors during this time period

like with Myanmar and Nepal during the

1959 Tibet and Uprising with Mongolia

Vietnam and LA in the aftermath of the

great Chinese famine in the 1960s and

after the 1989 Tian Square massacre and

with Central Asian States like

Tajikistan kiristan Kazakhstan and

Afghanistan during High periods of

unrest in Shin Jong across the 1960s and

the 1990s but then beginning in the

early 1990s China's economic fortunes

and geopolitical power began rapidly

shifting as the era of China's

incredible economic rise began China's

economy soared into becoming the second

largest in the world in nominal terms by

2010 and it even became the largest in

the world by purchasing power parody

terms by 2016 when it surpassed the

United States China's economic rise was

so rapid between 1970 and 2022 that it

went from accounting for less than 3% of

the global economy in 1970 to accounting

for nearly a fifth of the global economy

by 2022 and with China's increasing

economic power came its rapidly

increasing military power as well and

with that China's growing

Ambitions China became less and less

interested in settling and compromising

with its remaining open territorial

disputes it had with Taiwan and the

South China Sea and with India and

Bhutan across the line of actual control

and after the rise of xiin ping to power

in China since 2012 the People's

Republic has pursued a much more

aggressive and assertive foreign policy

with its neighbors a trend that has been

similarly followed in India since the

2014 election of Narendra Modi who also

pursues an assertive and nationalist

foreign policy for India as well from

the current perspective of New Delhi in

2024 they have many many reasons to be

wary of China's position and intentions

on the other side of the line of actual

control especially in the Eastern region

around Bhutan and arunachal Pradesh

China's internationally recognized

control of the chumbi valley region

wedged in between India Sim state in

Bhutan is sometimes referred to in

Indian strategic circles as a Chinese

dagger that points precipitously close

to one of India's greatest Geographic

vulnerabilities the narrow Siliguri

Corridor sometimes also referred to as

the chicken's neck this is the extremely

narrow land bridge that's only 24 km

wide wedged in between the independent

states of Nepal and Bangladesh that

serves as the only land connection India

has between their primary territory and

their seven Northeastern states if the

24 km wide Siliguri Corridor were to

come under Chinese occupation in the

event of another War then China would

cut off the roughly 50 million Indians

who live here in the Northeast from any

available access to the rest of India

while perhaps even more pressingly China

would also sever India's ability to send

any reinforcements by land through their

own territory to support Aruna Pradesh

which would enable the pla to advance

China's territorial claim in the region

south of the McMahan line with heavily

restricted Indian reinforcements and

Logistics this paranoia from India's

perspective is not helped by the

location of China's territorial claims

and incursions into Bhutan either and

specifically this Chinese claim in

Bhutan immediately to the east of the

chumi Valley known as the Dolan Plateau

were China to gain a firm control over

the dolam plateau here they would

acquire the Strategic Eastern High

Ground looking down into their own chumi

Valley they would reinforce their

control over the valley enable them to

more effectively mobilize and

concentrate troops in the area and Grant

them more access routes into India in

the event of a conflict while they would

also extend their territorial control

much further south to the southern

foothills of the Himalayan mountains

which would then enable the pla to

easily observe the Siliguri Corridor

only 87 km away and observe any

potential Indian troop movements flowing

through the corridor India has

maintained a very close special

relationship with Bhutan ever since they

signed a treaty of friendship all the

way back in 1949 which granted India

Special guidance over bhutan's foreign

and defense policy especially as it

related to China that treaty was only

slightly relaxed as recently as 2007 and

India has continued to remain as

essentially bhutan's most important Ally

and protector as New Deli wants to

maintain bhutan's territorial Integrity

as much as possible to keep them as a

buffer State separating their vulnerable

Siliguri Corridor away from China

meanwhile over in the western sector

India remains wary of China's control

over aai chin in the trans Korum tract

because of their proximity to the Cen

Glacier and India's road that connects

the remote area around the glacier back

to the rest of Indian control territory

the Cen Glacier is located within

territory currently controlled by India

but it's located immediately across the

separate line of actual control that

India also shares with Pakistan their

arch geopolitical rival who also claims

the territory of the former princely

state of jamu in Kashmir Pakistan

accepted China's territorial claims in

the region of aai chin and the trans

karakorum tract in order to secure

beijing's support for the rest of their

claims to the territory in jamu and

Kashmir currently under Indian control

that's also home to more than 12 12 half

million people India is therefore

primarily concerned about China's

control over axai chin because in the

event of a conflict the pla would not

have to advance very far from axai chin

in order to seize control over the

Indian road that leads to the Cen

Glacier opposite of the Pakistani Armed

Forces which would then enable Pakistan

to move in and seize control over the

glacier without stable Indian

reinforcements or Logistics between 1984

and 2003 Pakistan and India fought

bitterly over the control of this

glacier in which an estimated 2,000

soldiers were killed which earned the

Cen Glacier the moniker of being the

highest Battlefield in the world and the

concern here around the Cen Glacier and

axin is only a small part of India's

greater fear of the overall extremely

close relationship that has emerged

between Pakistan and China both

countries maintain large territorial

claims to lands that India currently

controls Pakistan claims 110,000 square

kmers of land that India controls not

only in jamu and casir

but also in the formerly princely state

of junar that Pakistan also claims

within India's modern state of Gujarat

combined with China's claims to Indian

controlled territories like aruno chal

Pradesh Pakistan and China collectively

claim nearly 200,000 square kilometers

of Indian administered territory a huge

area that's roughly the size of

Washington state in the United States

India's Ultimate Nightmare scenario is

being one day forced into fighting a

two-front war against Pakistan and China

at the same time both of whom are armed

with nuclear weapons Well India is even

further growing increasingly concerned

that China is starting to encircle them

from an economic point of view since

China unveiled the belt and Road

initiative in 2012 six out of India's

seven immediate neighbors have signed up

to become a part of the initiative

Pakistan Nepal Sri Lanka Bangladesh

Myanmar and the Maldives only Bhutan

India's closest Ally in the region has

join New Delhi in resisting The Lure of

joining the belon road initiative which

has led New Delhi into feeling that it

has been losing significant clout in its

own backyard to Beijing that could

reduce Regional support for India in the

event of a potential future conflict the

talks of potential Chinese debt traps

and hypothetical Naval bases in many of

these countries like hiyaku in Myanmar

hent TOA and Sri Lanka and guidar in

Pakistan has not aided with India's

growing feelings of insecurity in

Chinese encirclement though China has

still to date not actually built any

Naval facilities in any of these

locations yet meanwhile from China's

perspective their border dispute with

India and Bhutan is truly only a

secondary concern of theirs at the

moment throughout the 2020s beijing's

primary territorial Focus will almost

certainly remain on asserting the

Chinese Communist party's control over

Taiwan whereas India's ultimate nmare

scenario is a twofr front war against

Pakistan and China China's Ultimate

Nightmare scenario is having to fight

their own two-front war against the

United States and her allies in the

Pacific during an assault on Taiwan and

against India across the Himalayas

region a major war with India over the

disputed landb order is not within

China's best interests while its focus

is fixated east on Taiwan and so Beijing

would like to keep things on the line of

actual control as quiet as possible for

now China is overall considered to be

relatively happy with the status quo On

the Border they've maintained since

their military victory over India in

1962 but they remain incentivized to

deter any and all perceived Indian

threats to challenging it and increasing

their leverage whenever they sense the

opportunity to do so however because of

India's continuous claims on axai chin

and other locations along the line of

actual control and India's consistent

refusal to ever consider recognizing

China's claim to axai Chin in exchange

for beijing's recognition of India's

claim to arunachal Pradesh China has

likely calculated that settling the

Border dispute with India once and for

all to permanently stabilize the border

and prevent the odds of a two-front war

when necessarily require China to make

territorial concessions to India like

giving up on arunachal Pradesh or South

Tibet forever and retreating from axai

chin the transor tract and the other

smaller territories and Beijing is

likely reason that from its new found

position of strength and power in the

21st century they have no further need

to make any compromises on territory

moreover even if Beijing were to make a

significant territorial compromise with

India to settle the Border dispute it

would carry with it a precedent for

China's other ongoing and more serious

territorial disputes in places like the

South China Sea which could Harden the

resolve of countries like the

Philippines Vietnam and Malaysia to

Simply decide on waiting the Chinese

claims out and pushing back more firmly

against them China also maintains old

concerns and grievances about India's

continued hosting of the 88-year-old Dal

Lama ever since he fled from Tibet in

1959 and its hosting of the influential

Tibetan government in Exile as well

which lobbies international support for

tibet's greater autonomy within China

and sometimes even for tibet's outright

Independence again and there are newer

greater concerns about India that have

been growing in China recently since the

2010s too namely India's increasingly

close relationship with her own top

geopolitical rival the United States as

China has risen in strength India has

naturally sought a counterweight to

increase their own negotiating power and

what better counterweight than the most

powerful country in the world and for

Washington increasingly concerned about

great power competition with China in

the Indo Pacific theyve calculated that

there is no better country in the region

to counter China's rise than India India

now has a larger population base to pull

from than China does its economy has

risen to become the fifth largest in the

world and is likely to surpass Japan

soon to become the fourth largest and

its defense spending is already

increased to become the fourth largest

in the World Behind only the heavy

weights of America China and Russia the

Indian Navy as a modern and capable

force with two aircraft carriers in

operation compared to China's three

carriers which gives India the ability

to project power across the Indian Ocean

region in a way that few other countries

can match wishing to court India against

China since the 2010s then Washington

has invested considerable diplomatic

effort into pleasing New Delhi the

United States amended its own domestic

laws to allow for the construction of

six us designed nuclear power reactors

in India in 2016 the United States has

publicly backed India's efforts to

become a new permanent member of the

United Nations security Council which

China opposes the United States has

Exempted India from sanctions that other

countries have suffered by purchasing

oil from Iran and Russia and in 2017

after a nearly decade long Hiatus India

Australia Japan and the United States

revived the quadrilateral security

dialogue or the quad between them a

strategic security dialogue that

involves joint military exercises

dedicated to countering China's Maritime

claims in the South China Sea and the

Indo Pacific both militarily and

diplomatically India's capable Navy and

their possession of a series of

far-flung islands known as the Andaman

and nikobar islands make beijing's

military planners particularly anxious

these islands sit strategically close by

to the Western entrance of the malaka

strait a narrow choke point that

represents the fastest Maritime route

available between the Chinese Pacific

coast and the rich oil and gas fields

around the Persian Gulf the malaka

strait therefore represents China's most

critical energy artery through which an

estimated 60% of China's entire oil

supply flows through if the us or Allied

navies were to blockade the malaka

strait during a wartime scenario such as

during an attempted Chinese invasion of

Taiwan then 60% of China's oil supply

would immediately become eliminated

which would quickly begin to starve

their War Machine of vital fuel the US

Navy already maintains a base on the

Eastern edge of the malaka straight in

Singapore and if the Indian Navy join

the war or Worse granted the US Navy the

rights to base themselves in the endam

and ncbar Islands too then China would

face the Dilemma of defending the

critical malaka Strait against hostile

Naval forces on both of its flanks

moreover back along the line of actual

control on land India's open bellicosity

towards Pakistan and their competing

claims with Pakistan and jamu and

Kashmir is yet another grave concern of

beijing's to have to deal with since

2015 China's single largest project of

their entire belt and Road initiative

has been focused in Pakistan and dubb

the China Pakistan economic Corridor or

CAC China has poured more than $65

billion do worth of investment into

developing this project over the decade

since it began which includes a modern

Deepwater ported guidar on the coast and

a well-built road and rail line from the

port leading up across Pakistan's

territory into China's Shen Jang

Province to Beijing the cek has become a

Cornerstone of their strategy in

avoiding their Reliance on the malaka

strait for oil imports coming in from

the Persian Gulf since with the cek

operational Persian Gulf oil can just be

transported to guar and then carried by

truck or rail car up through Pakistan

and into China directly which greatly

reduces China's vulnerability to an

American Naval blockade in malaka

moreover the project is also intended to

spur on economic development in China's

Shin Jong region which Beijing hopes to

use to reduce militant influence on

Muslim separatists among the native

weager people there but alarmingly for

China the route of the CeX roads and

Railways necessarily runs through the

Pakistani controlled area of jamu and

Kashmir in order to reach China which is

all through territory that is disputed

and claimed by India this whole project

has greatly annoyed India but from

beijing's perspective if India were to

ever act on their territorial claims on

the Pakistani controlled area of jamun

Kashmir and successfully seize it

through Force they would also seize

control over the CAC destroy China's

greatest alternative oil import artery

destroy more than $65 billion worth of

Chinese investment and leave China more

Expos to an American Naval blockade of

Mala that could literally crash China's

oil supply and wreck their military's

operating Effectiveness during a war

worse still China perceives its Air

Force at being at a distinct

disadvantage along the line of actual

control with India because the operating

altitudes across the tietan plateau to

the north of the line are much higher

than the altitudes in India to the south

of the line which lengthens the ignition

times required of China's jet engines

and restricts their aircraft Fuel and

payload capacities which already will

make China's air campaigns in the region

more difficult than India's and doubly

so if their oil supply is restricted by

Indian and American seizures of their

critical import arteries and then there

is beijing's own perceived vulnerability

of their chumi Valley too the valley

here is narrow and is flanked by Higher

Ground to the West in India Sim State

and to the east in Bhutan with Bhutan a

close military and diplomatic Ally of

indiia Indian artillery imp placements

during a wartime scenario On The Higher

Ground all around the chumi valley could

render it almost defenseless by

initiating a pincer attack on it and

then if the Indians secured control over

the valley the valley leads directly

through the Himalayas into the Tibetan

plateau and from there relatively close

by is laasa the religious and legal

capital of Tibet with the Dal Lama and

the Tibetan government in Exile both

still hosted by India China's darkest

fear is an Indian military Advance

breaking through the chumi valley and

carrying the Dal llama and the deedan

government in Exile back to laasa again

and encouraging another great Tibetan

Revolt to erupt again in the process and

so to better their own Geographic

positioning around the chumi valley that

is why China has been steadily and

quietly invading and settling several

strategically chosen territories of

Bhutan China has long maintained a claim

to the Dolan Plateau region of Bhutan on

the pretense that it is a historic

extension of Tibet but for the

geopolitical rationale that it extends

Chinese control to Encompass The Higher

Ground east of the chumi valley and

denies the Indian army the ability to

access it instead but it claims to the

other territories in Bhutan are much

more recent China only began taking out

claims to these territories in Northern

Bhutan called The Bay Ule and the

machuma valley only in the 1980s in an

apparent attempt to directly Target

bhutan's deeply Buddhist culture the

Bayle area in particular is considered

to be highly sacred and culturally

significant to the budines people where

the Kingdom's monarchy traces its

ancestral Origins to to Bhutan China's

claim and settlement of the bayu region

would be as if Canada suddenly made a

claim to the Statue of Liberty in Ellis

Island in New York York and began

actively colonizing them with armed

troops and settlers for decades now

since 1990 China has attempted to

weaponize its claims over the sacred

bayu region in the machuma valley to

pressure Bhutan into a deal by offering

to recognize bhutan's claims in the

north if Bhutan only recognize China's

claims to the doam plateau in the west

China has noted during negotiations that

their claim in the north is

495 km weather claim in the west is only

269 km implying the Bhutan stands to

acquire the larger and more culturally

significant territory by accepting the

deal but accepting such a deal would

immediately jeopardize bhutan's

relationship with its historic protector

and Ally India who would be loathed to

see China's Geographic position in the

Doan Plateau be strategically enhanced

so nearby to their own vulnerable

Siliguri Corridor India has relentlessly

pressured Bhutan into never accepting

the deal with China while standing up

for bhutan's complete territorial

Integrity but China has also continued

building up the pressure on Bhutan to

Cave into it in 2020 after Decades of

fail negotiations China suddenly began

claiming a whole new territory in the

east of Bhutan encompassing the saang

wildlife sanctuary in an apparent

message to Bhutan that if they continue

refusing to yield the Doan Plateau China

will just continue claiming even more of

bhutan's territory and in addition to

the paper claims on maps China is

solidifying their claims on the ground

with a rapid influx of settlers and

soldiers since 2020 as well in only the

past 4 years the bay U and manuma Valley

areas claimed by China and Northern

Bhutan have seen a rapid pace of Chinese

infrastructure development and

settlement dozens of miles of roads have

been paved hundreds of houses and other

structures capable of supporting

hundreds to even thousands of Chinese

settlers have been constructed and even

military and police outposts and

electricity plants have been spotted by

satellites China is constructing entire

Villages within their claimed

territories in Bhutan and within the

sacred region of the bay Ule increasing

the pressure on bhutan's government even

further to yield in order to regain

their own control over the sacred bayu

in exchange for giving up the doam

plateau Bhutan is effectively being

squeezed between the two giants of Asia

that surround them as they attempt to

outmaneuver one another and they are

becoming presented with an impossible

choice to make they can continue to

ignore China's demands and continue

watching more of their country's

territory get claimed seized and

colonized by Chinese settlers or they

can cave to the Chinese pressure and

surrender the Doan plateau in exchange

for Beijing releasing their claims

everywhere else and destroy their

long-standing relations with India in

the process who is their most important

Ally and by far their most important

trade partner as about 95% of bhutan's

exports go to India and roughly 90% of

bhutan's imports come from India where

Bhutan to ever surrender the Doan

Plateau to China India would feel that

their final loyal Ally in the region

would have turned against them and the

sense of paranoia within New Delhi of

becoming encircled by Chinese influenced

countries would rise even further which

means that India's willingness to

confront China on the border more

aggressively would rise as well Bhutan

is a small but strategically located

Kingdom a fewer than 800,000 people

wedged in between two nuclear armed

Giants with more than a billion people

each and so they do their best to

appease both sides as much as possible

in order to avoid a full-blown war from

erupting or cross their territory

between them Bhutan is long maintained

diplomatic relations with India ever

since India's founding in 1947 and

India's guarantee of BH protection since

1949 while Bhutan has never established

formal diplomatic relations with China

in any of its forms curiously bhan is

the only country in the world who has

never officially recognized either the

mainland based People's Republic of

China nor the Taiwan based Republic of

China refusing to recognize the PRC in

order to appease India but also refusing

to recognize the ROC in order to non-

infuriate Beijing too greatly moreover

Bhutan has also avoided ever

establishing diplomatic relations with

any of the world's other major Powers as

well so as not to antagonize China too

greatly Bhutan is the only UN member

State who maintains no diplomatic

relations with any of the five permanent

members of the United Nations security

Council including none with the United

States in fact Bhutan only maintains

formal diplomatic relations with 54 of

the 193 UN member states in its

deliberate policy of isolationism that

strategically aims to balance itself

between the giant orbits of India and

China but It ultimately remains

difficult to see how this crisis at the

roof of the world will ever be solved

through diplomacy as China continues

encroaching on bhutan's territory

expanding their territorial claims even

further building Villages and bringing

in thousands of settlers a clash between

China and India over the status of

Bhutan may eventually be coming even

though all sides involved wish to avoid

one and it's already come very close to

happening already in 2017 Chinese

soldiers attempted to construct a road

in the disputed Doan plateau of Bhutan

that would have connected the territory

to the be valyant toet which would have

enabled Chinese troops and equipment to

more easily access it terrified the

Indian army came in with bulldozers and

confronted the Chinese soldiers in tolam

and initiated a 10th 73 day standoff

where both armies formed human chains to

face each other down before both sides

withdrew then 3 years later in 2020

calculating that it needed to display a

greater show of force towards India the

Chinese began advancing thousands of

soldiers towards different locations in

the western section of the line of

actual contr control which sparked a

fierce Indian response and massive

clashes along the border in a previous

attempt to deescalate tensions along the

line of actual control both India and

China had agreed back in 1996 to ban all

of their soldiers from carrying firearms

or explosives near the border area to

reduce the chances of a major incident

taking place that could Cascade into a

full-blown War again so because of that

ban thousands of Chinese and Indian

soldiers faced each other off high up in

the mountains in 2020 armed with more

primitive melee weapons instead like

spiked clubs metal bars wrapped in

barbed wire riot gear and machetes which

led to the combat taking place between

them in 2020 appearing to be more out of

the Medieval Era than the 21st century

depending on the sources the melee clash

between the Indian and Chinese armies

then resulted in the deaths and injuries

of dozens of soldiers on both sides

representing a massive escalation along

the line of actual control since they

were the first deaths caused by combat

between India and China along their

disputed Border in more than 40 5 years

which led to campaigns in India to

boycott Chinese products and India's

subsequent Banning of hundreds of

Chinese apps in the country including

Tik talk and Alibaba the crisis sharply

escalated geopolitical tensions between

China and India and has reverberated

over the years since into the present

day and the next part of this video that

covers how these border clashes went

down and why they were so violent in

2020 compared to previous decades is all

vital context to understanding where the

dangerous india-china relationship is

going in the future but unfortunately

due to the inherently violent

controversial and very recent nature of

discussing in detail how one of the

bloodiest melee battles of the 21st

century happened the next part of this

video that would cover all of it would

almost certainly cause the rest of the

video before it to become demonetized

and age restricted which ultimately

would mean that YouTube's algorithm

would have never promoted any of this

video to you and you would probably

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I was still able to produce the next

part of this video anyway in my ongoing

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minute part covering everything you need

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India and China and 20120 that led to

thousands of their soldiers engaging in

a massive melee battle and what could

happen between them next going forward

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monthly subscription and the capital

we're raising from Lifetime

subscriptions are all being reinvested

into even more new content on the site

to expand our even more ambitious

projects of movies plays shows and

documentaries that are all still soon to

come and then I'm very excited about and

best of all if you'd rather sign up for

an annual or monthly plan to nebula

that's fine too and you can sign up for

one by clicking the button that's here

on your screen right now or by following

the link Down Below in the description

or by scanning the QR code here on your

screen any of which will give you an

insanely good 40% discount off of an

annual subscription which means it'll

only cost you 250 a month for all of

this awesome exclusive content from

myself and hundreds of other independent

creators it's the absolute best way to

help support what I'm doing here on real

life floor and as always thank you so

much for watching