The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has very rarely made the most complete statement on the Sino-Indian border issue, explicitly mentioning the “Sikkim section,” once again putting in front of the world the fact that India openly annexed a sovereign country 49 years ago.
During a recent visit to Singapore, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar once again propagated that the region under Indian control in South Tibet (referred to as Arunachal Pradesh by India) is the “natural territory” of India. In response to Jaishankar’s remarks, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs openly presented China’s latest comprehensive statement on the Sino-Indian border, not only reiterating that the eastern, central, and western sections of the boundary between the two countries are “undetermined,” but also specifically mentioning the “Sikkim section,” which has rarely been mentioned in previous official statements.
This is likely to make some people in India lose sleep again. The main reason is that Sikkim is where India has been most successful in encroaching upon and infiltrating neighboring countries since its independence, and it is the only successful one. Sikkim had established an independent monarchy over three hundred years ago, became a British colony during the British colonization of the entire Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, and after the British withdrawal, India considered itself the “natural inheritor of all British interests.” At that time, the population of Sikkim was only a few tens of thousands, too weak, and gradually came under India’s control. In 1950, it became a protectorate of India and was formally annexed by India as the “State of Sikkim” in 1975. The King of Sikkim went into exile in the United States and established the exiled government of Sikkim, claiming not to recognize India’s occupation and rule over Sikkim.
And this exiled government still exists today. Although India still harbors similar ambitions, this approach does not work for countries with slightly larger populations, such as Bhutan and Nepal.
In fact, since India annexed Sikkim in 1975, China has never recognized India’s sovereignty over Sikkim. Although Sikkim is no longer marked as a sovereign country on Chinese maps published in 2005, this is still different from “recognizing India’s sovereignty over Sikkim.” At a time when Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar openly advocated that “Arunachal Pradesh” (illegally established in China’s southern Tibet region) is the natural territory of India, China directly pointed out the issue of Sikkim, indicating a proactive stance and putting India on alert.
It can be said that in the context of China’s persistent refusal to recognize India’s sovereignty over Sikkim, what India is most worried about is that the “unresolved status of Sikkim” will be brought up again, leading to international condemnation of India. After all, respect for sovereign states is the first iron law of international relations today. By directly addressing the issue of Sikkim at this time, China is warning India that the “Political Guidance Principles for the Settlement of the Sino-Indian Boundary Question” reached by China and India must be strictly adhered to. If India tries to play a double game, China absolutely has means to counteract it, whether diplomatically, politically, or militarily.
In the face of India’s rogue tactics on the Sino-Indian border issue, China has been counteracting all along. Since 2008, the Chinese embassy in India has been issuing separate visas to residents of Indian-controlled southern Tibet and Indian-controlled Kashmir, ensuring that the Chinese government leaves no trace on passports issued to residents of these two regions by India, indicating that China does not recognize India’s sovereignty over these two regions. India’s counterattack against China’s practice is to play the “Taiwan card.” Since 2008, the Indian government has refused to sign any statement or document in any international organization or official occasion that contains the phrase “One China.” However, this move is undoubtedly futile.
What worries India more now is that China’s relations with Bhutan are also rapidly developing, making India’s disadvantage in the Sino-Indian border issue even more apparent. Currently, China has surpassed India to become Bhutan’s largest trading partner. China and Bhutan are also planning to further connect the railway from Lhasa, Shigatse, and Jiangzi County to Bhutan. More importantly, there has been a breakthrough in the China-Bhutan border negotiations in 2023, completely disregarding India’s claims on the Doklam issue, especially the issue of the Doklam-Sikkim-Bhutan tri-junction that concerns India. The “Indian border” here is actually the border of the “State of Sikkim” annexed by India. India has always been trying to prevent China from opening a road to the south of Doklam towards the Jupu Ridge, which overlooks India’s “Chicken’s Neck” Siliguri Corridor and has important strategic significance for India.
This time, China’s rare comprehensive statement on the segmentation and resolution of the Sino-Indian border is a showdown with India, indicating that China will not retreat in any of the four border sections, and India should not expect to “fish in troubled waters” in Southern Tibet or any illegally occupied border areas. China will not recognize even an inch of the territory illegally “controlled” by India.