ROOT OF CHINA'S ANTI-INDIA POLICY

                               

When China attacked India in 1962, I was a student of final year of my graduation, which is enough to tell that I could understand the topic and analyse the developments based on my limited intellectual level. I remember that the seniors used to say that it was a direct repercussion  of the Tibetan uprisings against the Chinese interferences in their domestic affairs which ultimately forced the Dalai Lama in 1959 to run away with his supporters and seek refuge in friendly India. They continue in that position till today with an interim Tibetan govt in Dharamshala, much to the dislike of China. Some others said that china, an arrogant Communist state wanted to compel India to come under their red umbrella. China also did not like india for despite following a non-aligned policy was tilted in favour of USA. Despite all these interpretations being true, I have come across some facts that the Chinese animosity is older more than by a hundred year.

At the fagend of the nineteenth century, there were huge forceful interferences in the internal matters of China by the Western nations in main. There were attempts to convert the locals into Christianity. This led to a great resentment in Northern China which took a violent turn in 1898-1901. It was initiated by the Militia United in Righteousness who were named as Boxers by the British. Later it became more famous by the name of Boxer Rebellion. At this point the Empress dowager of the Qing dynasty suppoted the uprising by lending the help of the state armed forces. The rebels thus encircled the foreigners, hidden in the League Quarter in Beijing  for several days. Then the foreign countries signed an eight-nation alliance inter alia including England, Germany, Russia, japan etc who desptched a well armed contingent of 20,000 troops. They broke the siege and freed their men. China was decisively defeated and the victors imposed a huge amount as indemnity on China which was more than its annual income to be paid to the victors in 39 years.

What is more important from our point of view, is that the English force consisted of also Indian soldiers. Without realizing that the Indians had gone on orders of their colonial masters, they are nourishing anti-india feelings since then, culminating into hot border skirmishes in 1962 and continuing pinpricks on borders and in bilateral relations.