|
|
|
|
South Tibet
|
| |
|
| |
South Tibet is what the Chinese government names a geographic area that is the focus of border dispute between India and China. The area, most of which lies within the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, is claimed by both China and India and is currently administered by India.
DisputeThe focus of the long-standing unresolved border dispute is part of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh India currently governs the area claimed by China. Arunachal Pradesh is in the northeast part of the India. It is bordered on the north by the Tibet Autonomous Region (formerly Tibet) and on the east by Myanmar.
Currently China is renewing its claims to this area, stating that the area is part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and it recently denied a visa to an Arunachal Pradesh official.
The basis of the denial was that the official was already a citizen of China as he was a citizen of Arunachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh belongs to China.
The borderline was originally negotiated between Tibet and Great Britain at the Simla Convention in March of 1914. The border determined at that time is known as the McMahon Line. China's claim is that it was not a party to the Simla Conference nor to a separate treaty between Britain and Tibet and therefore the treaty is “illegal and invalid”. China further alleges the treaty was secretly amended one month later by British and Tibetan officials and the border line changed.
One of issues at the root of a subsequent border dispute between Tibet and India is Tibet's claim that if the line drawn at the Simla Conference is valid, then this supports Tibet's position as an independent nation. It has been suggested that China has no real interest in Arunachal but keeps this issue simmering as to recognize the treaty would also recognize Tibet as an independent country under Chinese occupation. Currently Tibet is a providence of China known as the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Other Border disputes between India and ChinaIn addition to the McMahon Line and Arunachal Pradesh, the disputed border includes a section delineating a barren plateau in Ladakh called Aksai Chin claimed by India as part of Jammu and Kashmir but never thoroughly surveyed. Aksai Chin is critical to the Chinese as it is the site of a key highway linking Tibet and Xinjiang (the Uyghur area under Chinese rule)
DescriptionSouth Tibet includes the Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon, formed by the middle reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River in the south of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It stretches 1200 kilometres from Mainling in the east to Saga in the west, and some 300 kilometres from the Himalaya range in the south to the Gangdisê and Nyainqêntanglha massifs in the north. The bottom of the valley ascends from an altitude of 2800 metres in the east to 4500 metres in the west. The Gangdisê and Nyainqêntanglha mountain ranges (sometimes referred to as "Trans-Himalaya") separate South Tibet from North Tibet (Chinese: Zàngbei ??).
South Tibet includes the following geologically important areas: the Tibetan Plateau and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.
Politically, South Tibet comprises the Autonomous regions of China divisions of Xigazê, Shannan and Nyingchi. All or parts of these areas are disputed areas claimed by three parties: the Peoples Republic of China, the Government of Tibet in Exile, and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.
In the south-east, part of South Tibet is claimed by China, but controlled by India. China views these areas as parts of the counties Mêdog and Zayü in Nyingchi, parts of Cona and the south of Lhünzê in Shannan. This is the area south of the McMahon Line, which is not recognised by China as an international border. This part of South Tibet roughly corresponds to what India refers to as Arunachal Pradesh.
See also
External links
|
| |
|
|
