A.S. Bhasin, author of Nehru, Tibet and China

China Made All Possible Efforts to Make India Understand the Need for Fresh Surveys… in Both the Sectors, But Unfortunately it Was Nehru Who Consistently Denied the Need For it

In your Epilogue, you write that no settlement is ‘ever possible on conditions imposed by one party.’ Do you think that under the present circumstances, China can impose a settlement on the strength of its military and economic power?

No, China cannot impose a settlement on India with its sheer military and economic strength. Even status quo is in China’s favour since they are in occupation of the entire Aksai Chin since 1962.

Several books have chronicled India’s difficult relationship with China. In what respect is your book different?

My book goes into the roots of the problem which made a settlement difficult. There were several issues just to take the main question, ‘the borders’: India’s borders with Tibet/ China were problematic. The erstwhile NEFA (presently Arunachal Pradesh), until 1951 was known by the Tibetan name Tawang, and despite the McMahon Line it remained under Tibetan occupation since 1914 and they collected the civil revenue as well.

The British had in 1940 assured Tibet that they would redraw the border line to run south of the