ABSTRACT
This chapter shows the causes for the outbreak of the Sino-Indian War are primarily to be found in the two states' colliding approaches towards a resolution of the boundary problem: while Beijing was genuinely interested in a mutually acceptable solution through negotiations, India's 'fixed and final' approach impeded any compromise. It traces the deterioration in Sino-Indian relations from friendship to enmity and the simultaneous emergence of the boundary issue from a subcutaneous cleavage to the determining source of conflict. The chapter analysis Beijing's operative planning and the actual use of force demonstrated that China's military campaign in the Himalayas incorporated a decidedly punitive element. It identifies the Dhola incident as the immediate trigger for China's resort to force, as well as the examination of the deliberations inside the Chinese leadership, highlight that emotions played a significant role in arriving at the decision to resort to force against India.
