An internal note by the Chinese Government claims the Sino-India war in 1962 was a result of India launching a “large-scale” attack on their border Defence forces following which it launched a “counter attack in self-defence”.
The contents of the note are routinely used by the Chinese Government to educate bureaucrats and diplomats on Sino-Indian relations and perspectives.The events, according to the note, escalated in October and November 1962 after then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru did not keep his word on six “reciprocal” points agreed to between India and China to ease up border tensions.
The six points included recognition that a border dispute existed between the two sides; there was a “real” line of control between the areas of jurisdiction of each side (although the two sides held different views on the formation of the line of control, their understanding of its position was the same); when resolving the border problem in each sector the same geographical principles should be applied, such as mountain ridges, river valleys and passes; and resolution of border problems by taking into account the ethnic sensibilities of the peoples of both countries in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain areas.
The two other points included convergence on respecting the line of control till the two sides reached an agreement on the border issue through discussion and halt on patrols by both sides to facilitate progress in the talks.
“All these six points were completely reciprocal, and contained the views that Nehru himself had expressed during the talks. (But) Nehru refused to acknowledge them. Since the Indian Government persisted in its stand, the talks could reach no conclusion,” the note said.
China has divided the Indian “attack” and the counter-attack into two parts, the first stage being between October 1962 to October 24, 1962 and the second phase beginning November 16, 1962 and ending on November 21, 1962.
“The counter-attack in self-defence on the Sino-Indian border not only struck a major blow to India’s arrogance in gobbling up China’s territory and protected China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, it also ensured that quiet would be maintained in the Sino-Indian border area for a relatively long period,” the note further said.
The then Chinese premier Zhou Enlai held talks with Nehru in New Delhi from April 19 to 26, 1960. The talks were held after armed conflicts ensued on the border in March 1959 after India had raised all its territorial demands with China, says the report.
The talks were held, claims the report, in order to avoid escalation of the conflict, and to lessen tension on the border. However, the Indian side rejected the Chinese Government’s proposal and insisted that China should accede unconditionally to its territorial demands, the report claimed.
Despite the April 1960 talks remaining inconclusive, the two sides issued a joint statement on April 25 and three rounds of border talks were held between Chinese and Indian officials between June and December 1960. However, an agreement was not reached.
After the talks ended, Zhou Enlai summed up the views and standpoints of the two sides as being in accord, or close to each other on these six points. Giving an account of the war, the report said: “The first stage began on October 20, 1962 when the Chinese border Defence forces wiped out the invading forces of the Indian Army’s 7th Brigade and other forces north of the disputed McMahon line in the Northern Namka Chu area and in the western sector eliminated 43 illegal strongholds established by the Indian forces.”
On October 24, the Chinese Government proposed a halt to hostilities, the resumption of talks, and a peaceful resolution to the border issue.
“Since the invading forces had incurred heavy losses, the Nehru Government was in difficulties domestically. It rejected the Chinese proposal and continued to amass troops, again launching a violent attack on the Chinese border Defence forces in the eastern and western sectors. The Chinese border Defence forces again repulsed the attack, and the second stage of the counter-attack in self-defence on the Sino-Indian border began,” the report said.
Starting from November 16, 1962, the Chinese border forces repulsed and counter-attacked the “invading” Indian troops in the Xishan Pass (Sela Pass), Bomdila and Walong areas, took 16 Indian military posts established on Chinese territory, and drove the remnants of the Indian forces back to the vicinity of the traditional line of the border, the report claimed.
The Chinese Government, according to the report, issued a statement on November 21 announcing a ceasefire next day and unilaterally withdrawing 20 km from the line of control used on November 7, 1959. The Chinese Government also announced that it would return all captured Indian weapons, ammunition, and other military equipment and release and return all captured Indian military personnel.
The report also claimed that India linked discussions on drawing up a new agreement with China on trade and communication between Tibet and India with the Sino-Indian border problem. The earlier agreement on the issue expired on June 3, 1962.