McMahon Line and the India-China Boundary Dispute
The McMahon Line is the 890-kilometre boundary between India's Arunachal Pradesh and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China, established during the Simla Convention of 1914. It was drawn by Sir Arthur Henry McMahon, then Foreign Secretary of British India, in negotiations with British, Tibetan, and Chinese representatives.
- The Simla Convention (October 1913 – July 1914) involved representatives from British India, Tibet (Paljor Dorje Shatra), and Republican China (Ivan Chen). China's representative initialled but never ratified the convention.
- China has refused to recognise the McMahon Line, arguing that Tibet lacked legal authority to sign any international treaty in 1914 as it was under Chinese sovereignty.
- After the Communist takeover in 1949, China repudiated all treaties it considered "unequal" and demanded renegotiation of borders.
- The 1962 Sino-Indian War: China crossed the McMahon Line, made deep incursions into Arunachal Pradesh, but then unilaterally withdrew to pre-war positions on November 21, 1962.
- Arunachal Pradesh became a full-fledged state of India in 1987.
● Tracked since April 12, 2026 · last seen August 07, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
See it in today’s brief.
Daily current affairs with every static concept explained in place.
Read the daily brief