China\'s Approach Towards Territorial Disputes: Lessons and Prospects

Contents: Preface. Introduction. 1. Defining territories and territorial disputes in the Chinese context. 2. China’s boundary disputes: Mongolia, North Korea and USSR/Russia. 3. China and Central Asia: amicable boundary dispute resolution. 4. China’s boundary with Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan: resolved disputes, unresolved troubles. 5. China’s boundary dispute resolution with Myanmar, Lao PDR and Vietnam. 6. China’s maritime disputes in the South China and East China Seas. 7. China and Bhutan: prolonged unresolved boundary dispute. 8. China-India: complex dynamics of boundary dispute. 9. China’s diplomacy on ‘boundary disputes’: lessons for India. Appendices.

China’s territorial disputes have been a matter of debate since the 1950s. While China has amicably resolved boundary disputes with 12 out of 14 neighbouring countries, it is yet to resolve its boundary disputes with India and Bhutan as also its two maritime disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea. Given that the prediction for the settlement of China’s remaining disputes is largely doubtful, this book investigates the reasons for differences in Chinese behaviour with India. China’s boundary dispute with India is a subject of deliberation and it remains to be seen whether China plans to devise its ‘boundary diplomacy’ with a country as huge and strong as India.