Disputed III: China Claims All Of Arunachal Pradesh But Has Its Eyes On Tawang

In the third and last in our series Disputed, we examine the case of Arunachal Pradesh in the east, which is claimed by China, underscoring the lack of any understanding on the alignment of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). But is the claim to Arunachal a smoke-screen for something else? The Chinese say Tawang belongs to them and must be handed over. For India that is an impossible demand.

Tawang is strategically located near the confluence of the Indian, Tibetan and Bhutanese borders. It is the birthplace of the 6th Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso and houses the famous Tawang Monastery, considered the “daughter” of the Drepung monastery in Lhasa.

In the late 18th century, the Tibetan authorities exercised some control over Tawang through the Tawang monastery but a survey in 1874 indica