Links between China and India in cultural and economic terms date back to ancient times. The Silk Road not only served as a major trade route between India and China, it is also credited for facilitating the spread of Buddhism from India to East Asia. China's growing opium trade with the British East India Company triggered the First and Second Opium Wars during the 19th century.
Nehru's visit
The border dispute first erupted during a 1959 visit to Beijing by India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.Nehru questioned the boundaries shown on official Chinese maps, prompting Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai to reply that the colonial frontier was not accepted by his government.
Sino-Indian War 1962
The main cause of the war was a disputed Himalayan border but other issues also played a role. Since the Tibetan rebellion of 1959, when India granted the Dalai Lama asylum, there had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries. India initiated a 1960 defensive forward strategy to obstruct Chinese military patrols and logistics, positioning outposts along the frontier, including many north of the McMahon Line, the eastern portion of the Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai 's 1959 Actual Control Line.
Nathu La conflict in 1967
Nathu La, India's highest mountain pass in northeastern Sikkim state, which is sandwiched between Bhutan, Chinese-ruled Tibet and Nepal, was another flashpoint.New Delhi said some 80 Indian soldiers died and counted as many as 400 Chinese casualties during a series of clashes, including the exchange of artillery fire.
Tulung La ambush
This skirmish was the last time it was officially confirmed that shots were fired across the disputed frontier.In Arunachal Pradesh, four Indian soldiers were ambushed and murdered along the dividing line.New Delhi blamed Beijing for crossing over to Indian territory, a charge that China had denied.
2017 Doklam plateau standoff
Despite several rounds of engagement between China and Bhutan, the dispute between the two over Doklam has not been resolved. It flared up in 2017 when the Chinese were trying to construct a road in the area, and Indian troops, in aid of their Bhutanese counterparts, objected to it, resulting in the stand-off. Doklam is strategically located close to the Siliguri Corridor, which connects mainland India with its north-eastern region. A vulnerable point for India is the corridor, also known as Chicken 's Neck.
While India-Tibet trade flourished along the Siliguri corridor and Chumbi Valley, Doklam had very little significance. Even during British rule, Doklam did not command much attention. In recent years however, China has been beefing up its military presence in the Chumbi Valley, where the Chinese are at a great disadvantage militarily. Both Indian and Bhutanese troops are on a higher ground around the Valley.
This is also the reason the Indian security establishment suspects why the Chinese are profoundly interested in Doklam, which would give them a commanding view of both the Chumbi Valley and the Siliguri Corridor and easy access. After the stand-off, the barren Doklam area catched global attention. It began on June 16 , 2017, according to Indian reports, when Chinese troops came to the area with equipment to extend a road south in Doklam, towards the Bhutanese Army camp near the Jampheri Ridge, which according to both Bhutan and India is an integral part of Bhutanese territory. China says the border lies on the ridge.Two days later, at Bhutan 's request, a few hundred Indian troops entered Doklam and halted construction.
Ladakh confrontation 2020 june
India said on Tuesday that 20 of its soldiers were killed in the strategically important Galwan Valley on the Himalayan frontier after a violent clash with Chinese forces a day earlier, a dramatic escalation that represents the first fatalities between the Asian powers since 1975.