Nehru, Tibet, and China written by AS Bhasin, and published in the year 2021 is a well-researched book and can be easily termed as an authority on the subject. Avtar Singh Bhasin served in the Ministry of External Affairs for thirty years. He retired as head of the Historical Division. He has written several books on India's relations with its neighbors, including a five-volume study on India's relations. This book can be called an abridged version of that study.
In this book, the author takes the period from 1949 to 1962 and gives a detailed account of events culminating in the 1962 war with China. Putting a Historical perspective, Tibet was a free country. China was a weak country. British had independent relations with China and Tibet. Tibet had ups and downs in relations with China. As China flexed its muscles with encouragement from the British, they inducted a large force under a General in Tibet in 1909. Dalai Lama fled to India in 1910. In 1911 Chinese troops were thrown out by Tibetians and Dalai Lama returned to Tibet. in 1914 a conference of Tibet, China, and British India was held in Shimla to mark the borders of India vs Tibet and China. Henry McMohan prepared the draft. Two copies of maps were made, one retained by McMohan and one given to Tibetians. China did not agree to the borders marked by McMohan and they protested. They did not sign and were not given any copy of the maps. Thus the legacy of the borders continues since then.
After the fall of the Kuomintang Govt in 1949, Communists took over China and started asking for areas 'illegally taken over by India'. In 1950 China occupied Tibet. India did not protest. There was a curious mix of the word Suzerainty and Soveraigninty regarding the status of Tibet under China. Subsequently, China invaded Tibet and usurped it. India did not protest. Dalai Lama sought refuge in India and was granted the same. This was not liked by China.
After independence India took its borders for granted and never tried to strengthen these by citing posts on borders as laid down by the British. Nehru, much against his advice to the Burmese President, was also shy of discussing borders with Chinese counterparts, lest the Chinese are mistaken that India is not sure of its borders. China never treated India as equal. They ran propaganda to brand India as a friend of Imperialist countries. China built a road through Aksai Chin in 1956. India did not protest. After Chinese activities increased further and things got escalated by 1959, India protested and cited Aksai Chin Road as an example of encroachment into Indian territory. However, China noted India's silence, when the road was being made, as tacit approval of Aksai Chin as lying with China.
The Incident of Kongka La happened in 1956 when 10 Indian border policemen, on patrol, were killed by the Chinese. The Indian Government was caught napping. Nehru had to face irate parliamentarians. He tried justifying it perceptional differences in line of border between India and China. (Almost the same thing happened after the Galwan clashes in June 2020). Zhu Enlai visited India in 1960 and offered to discuss border issues. He assured to treat the McMohan line as a permanent border provided complete Aksi Chin is given to China as per their claims. Nehru did not agree with that. Subsequently, China escalated its activities culminating in the 1962 war.
The book is highly readable dotted with detailed notes on the events at the diplomatic and Government level. The book is very well laid out with various chapters taking on events one by one simultaneously at the National as well as international levels. It has 316 pages and can be easily read over a few days. Overall worth a read especially in the present context of tensions on Indo-China borders. One can easily find many similarities between the mistakes committed by Nehru as well as the present Government. Seems that we have never learned lessons from our History.
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