A few days ago the 31st Anniversary  of the establishment of Arunachal Pradesh as a full- fledged state of the Indian Union was celebrated with much enthusiasm and acclaim, but its birth was accompanied by high end tension in Sino-Indian relations and what its establishment also demonstrated was that a substantive shift in great power relations had also occurred.
North East Frontier Agency [NEFA] as the territory was then known was a Union Territory and subject to substantive sovereignty claims by China over large tracts, amounting to nearly 90,000 square kilometers. Although in 1914 at the tripartite Simla Convention [India, Tibet and China] the McMahon Line separating Tibet from India had been agreed upon, China insisted that it had never agreed to the McMahon Line. Yet from that point onwards in time till 23 January 1959, the Chinese government, in any official document, never challenged the McMahon Line. Even when Major Khating evicted the last of the Tibetans from Tawang on 12 February 1951, there was no protest from the Chinese government. In his letter to Nehru, PM Zhou Enlai on 23 January 1959 affirmed that “the Chinese government finds it necessary to take a realistic attitude towards the McMahon Line”. But times change and so do policies. Let us fast forward to the early 1980s.
In early 1980s PM Indira Gandhi took the decision that Indian security forces were to patrol right up to the McMahon Line so as to eliminate any chance of incursions across the line. A small detachment began patrolling the area from the summer of 1982. There were no Chinese protests when movement by Indian personnel was made in 1983 and on 28 July 1984 a seasonal post was established. However in 1986 when Indian personnel similarly moved up to the post after the winter was over, they found 40 Chinese personnel already encamped there and were soon reinforced by about 200 PLA soldiers. From 26 June 1986 onwards, a bitter exchange of protests took place, but a solution was not forthcoming. India was clearly alarmed at this new found Chinese aggressiveness coming as it did after Chinese Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Liu Shuqing told us at the 6th Round of Boundary talks in November 1985 that “India would have to give concessions in the eastern sector and China would do so in the western sector”. What these concessions were was not amplified at that time.
Clearly recognizing the gravity of the situation the Indian Army moved quickly and in strength and between 18th and 20th October 1986 occupied the Hathungla Ridge above the Sumdorong Chu, overlooking the Chinese positions. A full strength brigade was deployed. Unlike the mistakes of 1962, the Indian troops never tried to hold the river line, but stood firm on high ground. By the time the Chinese crossed the Sumdorong Chu and moved forward they found well entrenched Indian troops on the ridge line. The Chinese could neither go forward nor could they retreat, for a retreat would have been rather galling. Similarly Indian troops moved with speed and alacrity and deployed Tanks both in Ladakh and north Sikkim. Clearly the Chinese had not anticipated such moves and attempted bluster in the hope that the new Indian leadership of PM Rajiv Gandhi might wilt.
On 15th November 1986 the Chinese sought a flag meeting in which it was agreed that force would not be used and that both sides would seek a “political solution”. Having successfully held the Chinese, the Indian side detected an opening that they had been looking for to convert Arunachal Pradesh from a Union Territory to a full- fledged state of the Indian Union. Earlier there had been apprehension that if India did so the Chinese reaction might be violent and therefore this factor had to be taken into account. The government of India now moved with speed and alacrity and after all legal formalities were completed, the new state of Arunachal Pradesh as a constituent of the Indian Union came into being in February 1987. A forceful message had been sent to the Chinese.
As anticipated the Chinese reacted with verbal rage, but could not do much more as the Indian army was already fully deployed and ready at the borders. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs [MFA] issued a strong protest stating that “the establishment of an Indian state on Chinese territory illegally occupied constituted serious aggression against China’s sovereignty and deeply hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and that China would never recognize the so-called Arunachal Pradesh”. This high voltage reaction clearly indicated that their annoyance with India was at its peak, for being out maneuvered both politically and militarily. It was noticed from reports that the Chinese Military Attaché in Delhi, the Tibet District Military Commander and the Chengdu Regional Military Commander were all transferred; perhaps for misreading the situation. It was under these circumstances that the new state of Arunachal Pradesh was born as a full member of the Indian Union.
[ In Part-II the international reactions and policies of the then two great powers, the US and the then Soviet Union would be explained.]