A Clash of Political Cultures: Sino-Indian Relations (1957-62)

Publisher: Roli

ISBN: 81-7436-310-6

Rs 450

About this book

In this book, Sudarshan Bhutani, who served in the Indian Embassy in China during 1957-62, critically narrates the political and diplomatic circumstances which led to the Indo-China war in 1962. He also analyses the role of the factors influencing China’s domestic and foreign policies, especially the impact of the Tibetan revolt and the constraints it placed on the realisation of her place in the international community. These factors and China’s own warped image of Nehru’s role and standing had a decisive impact on the India-China boundary dispute. The Tibetan rovolt proved the catalyst for a series of events: border incidents and the 1960 meeting of Nehru and Zhou Enlai in New Delhi amonst them. The steady crescendo of mutual mistrust set the stage for China, unleashing a full-scale ground war in 1962. The war went in China’s favour but brought no dividends except the formation of the Sino-Pak alliance. Drawing on his rich diplomatic experiences, Ambassador Bhutani gives readers an incisive and deeply researched book, which is a ‘must-read’ for scholars and students of international affairs.

About the author

Sudarshan Bhutani has had a distinguished diplomatic career. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1955 at the age of twenty-two. After training in India, and a year in Oxford at the Far Eastern Faculty, he did a year-long course at Beijing University while working at the Indian Embassy. He has spent over fifteen years in the Asia-Pacific region. He was the chairman and secretary general of the International Commission for Supervision and Control in Vietnam, as well as ambassador to Indonesia and High Commissioner to Australia. As joint secretary in the ministry of external affairs, he handled political relations with countries from Afghanistan to Morocco. He was ambassador in Egypt in the late 1980s. After retirement, he continues to take active interest in current national security issues.

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Setting
3. Revolt in Tibet
4. Indian Reaction and China’s Response
5. Turning Point
6. Treatment of Indians in Tibet
7. Border Incidents
8. Prime Ministers’ Correspondence
9. The Prime Ministers Meet
10. Growing Mistrust-I: Discussion on the Boundary
11. Growing Mistrust-II: Official Agencies
12. Growing Mistrust-III: Border Situation
13. Diplomatic Impasse
14. Prelude to War
15. War and Diplomacy
16. Aftermath: The Sino-Pakistani Alliance
17. In Retrospect

Appendix A: Sino-Burmese Boundary
Appendix B: Burma-China Border Map
Appendix C: Sino-Burmese Treaty of Friendship
and Mutual Non-Aggression
Appendix D: Sino-Burmese Agreement
Appendix E: More on Nehru’s Philosophy
Appendix F: Concordance of Chinese Names
Index