ABSTRACT
On the long land frontier in the north, British naval superiority could not be exerted. The British used diplomatic and military means to ensure its security. In the middle sector they maintained Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim as isolated buffer kingdoms. They regarded Iran, Afghanistan, and Tibet as the outer ring for the defence of India. Beyond these states lay the Chinese and the Russian Empires.
There was no clarity in the relationship between China and Tibet. In 1904, the British invaded Tibet to prevent Russia from establishing its influence there. Before the British Indian army entered Lhasa, the Dalai Lama fled to Ulan Bator. Ultimately, the British signed a Convention with China regarding Tibet.
The British made persistent efforts to demarcate the northern frontier. In 1914, in the eastern Sector, the McMahon Line was worked out to define the frontier between India and Tibet. In the Aksai Chin region, by 1900, three lines of demarcation were suggested by the British. But China did not formally accept any of these lines. The Government of India did not publish the map of India hoping that some agreement with China would be worked out. Ultimately, the map of India was published in 1939.
Seventy years after independence, the border between India and China remains undefined and disputed.
