Aksai Chin is a region in the northwestern part of the Himalayas, which has been a source of territorial dispute between India and China for several decades. Here are some key facts and historical events related to Aksai Chin:
Aksai Chin was part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, which was a predominantly Muslim state ruled by a Hindu monarch, prior to the partition of India in 1947.
After India’s independence in 1947, Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India, but the region of Aksai Chin was occupied by China in the late 1950s.
India and China fought a brief war over Aksai Chin in 1962, with China emerging victorious and consolidating its control over the region.
Aksai Chin is currently administered by China as part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
India continues to claim Aksai Chin as part of its own territory, and the border dispute between India and China remains unresolved to this day.
The border between India and China in the Aksai Chin region is known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and both sides maintain a significant military presence in the region.
The Aksai Chin region is strategically significant due to its proximity to several important trade and military routes, and is also believed to be rich in natural resources such as minerals and oil.
In recent years, there have been several incidents of military clashes and standoffs between Indian and Chinese troops along the LAC in the Aksai Chin region. The most serious of these occurred in June 2020, when a violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers. The incident led to a significant escalation of tensions between the two countries, and sparked a major diplomatic and military crisis that lasted for several months.
Current Political Position of Aksai Chin:
Currently, the political status of Aksai Chin remains a contentious issue between India and China, and the two countries continue to engage in ongoing negotiations and talks to resolve their border disputes.
How Did China Capture Aksai Chin:
China captured Aksai Chin in the late 1950s by constructing a strategic road that traversed the region, linking Tibet and Xinjiang. The road, known as the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway, was built by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the early 1950s, and required the construction of several bridges and tunnels across the rugged terrain of the Himalayas.
The construction of the road was largely kept secret from India, which was preoccupied with other domestic and foreign policy issues at the time. India only became aware of the road’s existence in the late 1950s, by which time China had already established control over Aksai Chin and the surrounding regions.
India protested China’s occupation of Aksai Chin, but its objections were largely ignored by China, which argued that the region had historically been part of Chinese territory. The dispute over Aksai Chin eventually led to a brief war between India and China in 1962, which China won, further consolidating its control over the region.
Since then, Aksai Chin has remained under Chinese control, and continues to be a source of territorial dispute between India and China.