[Global Issue+] Why Chinese and Indian Soldiers Fought with Sticks

1962 Firepower Battle Experience... Ceasefire Amid US-Russia Simultaneous Intervention Concerns
Growing Nuclear War Fears... 1996 Agreement to Ban Carrying Firearms

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] On the 15th, a clash between the Chinese and Indian armies in the border area around the Himalayas became a worldwide sensation. It was reported that the armies of two countries ranked among the top five military powers in the world engaged in hand-to-hand combat with iron pipes without firing a single bullet, which became a subject of global ridicule.

On the 18th (local time), the British BBC reported on the clubs used by Chinese soldiers during the hand-to-hand fight. The iron clubs used by the Chinese army were embedded with dozens of nails, and it is known that the Indian army suffered dozens of casualties. Ajai Shukla, an Indian defense analyst, criticized in an interview with the BBC, saying, "This is gangster behavior, not something soldiers should do."

Despite India's criticism, China is reportedly planning to deploy a new militia composed of former martial arts athletes in this border area. China appears to be trying to gain an advantage in hand-to-hand combat with India by deploying soldiers who have trained for a long time in the highland region along with martial arts athletes. Nevertheless, neither country has announced any reinforcement of firepower, such as forward deployment of heavy weapons or installation of missile bases, keeping in mind a potential firepower war.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

There is a reason why these two major powers are engaging in border disputes through primitive fistfights rather than firepower battles. The China-India border dispute is so complex and involves multiple countries that there is a high risk of intervention by major powers, and if the conflict escalates, there is even the danger of nuclear war between the two nuclear-armed countries. In fact, the two countries fought a firepower battle in the Himalayan border area for nearly two months in 1962, but at that time, the Soviet Union, which was not on good terms with China, approached India, and the United States also offered to help India, leading to a ceasefire. Later, in 1996, to avoid escalation, the two countries agreed that frontline soldiers in the border area would not carry firearms or explosives. Therefore, when border disputes occur, unusual scenes of fighting with clubs or throwing stones take place.

Nevertheless, negotiation tables to resolve the border dispute have rarely been established. China currently claims that all the border lines asserted by India are incorrect and insists that the border demarcation must be redone. India counters that the current border lines were drawn by the British during their colonial rule and that the Indian government has inherited these lines, so it cannot accept China's unilateral claims.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

As with most border disputes worldwide, the root cause of this issue is the British Empire, the world's strongest power in the 19th century. In 1914, Britain unilaterally demarcated the border lines among British India, Tibet Kingdom?which had declared independence from China at the time?and representatives of the Republic of China, which was in turmoil following the Xinhai Revolution. This border line is known as the so-called "McMahon Line." It forms the basis of the border lines we see on world maps today.

The problem is that the Republic of China government at the time rejected approval of the McMahon Line, and the border was demarcated only by agreement between Tibet and British India. After the turmoil of World Wars I and II, the modern People's Republic of China government claims that the McMahon Line is a bogus border. Tibet, then and now, has no right to demarcate borders with other countries as it is part of China, so China insists that the border demarcation must be redone from the beginning.

Therefore, it is unlikely that the border dispute between the two countries will be easily resolved in the future. Moreover, since India, led by Prime Minister Modi, advocates Hindu nationalism, and China promotes Zhonghua supremacy nationalism as domestic political assets, the border dispute is expected to continue to arise whenever there is a need to consolidate support bases.