China’s new land border law went into force on January 1, 2022. It comes at a time when the border stalemate in eastern Ladakh remains unsolved and China has lately renamed many locations in Arunachal Pradesh as part of its claim on the Indian state. 

What the new border law is

• The new rule requires the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to install boundary markers along all of its land borders to properly indicate the border.
• The legislation forbids any party from engaging in any border action that might “endanger national security or harm China’s cordial ties with neighbouring nations.”
• Citizens and local organisations are also tasked with protecting and defending border infrastructure.
• Finally, the legislation mandates that the border be blocked in the case of a war, armed conflict, or occurrences that endanger the security of border inhabitants, such as biological and chemical mishaps, natural catastrophes, or public health issues.
• Concerning its border-sharing nations, the legislation states that ties with these countries must be founded on the principles of “equality and mutual benefit.”
• The law calls for the creation of joint committees, both civil and military in nature, with the aforementioned nations to negotiate land border management and address border-related issues.
• The legislation also states that the PRC must comply by the land boundary treaties it has signed with the individual nations, and that any border concerns must be resolved through dialogue.

Issues

• The new law represents China’s “latest move to unilaterally delineate and demarcate territorial boundaries with India and Bhutan.”
• China has been bolstering border infrastructure in recent years, including the construction of air, rail, and road networks. It also launched a bullet railway in Tibet that runs all the way to Nyingchi, a border town near Arunachal Pradesh. Construction of new “frontier communities” along Bhutan’s border.
• The law asks for expanded civilian settlement and enhanced infrastructure near the border. China has already adopted the technique of transferring its “civil” population down the disputed section of the LAC on which it claims legal possession. The new law may exacerbate similar incidents, further complicating relations between the two countries.
• The overarching goal of the land border law is to provide legal support for and formalise Chinese military incursions over the LAC (Line of Actual Control) by 2020.
• Because the legislation calls for “actions to maintain the stability of cross-border rivers and lakes,” there is also the potential of limiting water flow in the Brahmaputra or Yarlung Zangbo river, which flows from China into India. China may invoke this provision in the case of hydroelectric projects that may create ecological disaster in India and claim that it is acting lawfully.
• According to some analysts, the new rule would force China to maintain its stance in both the existing stalemate and the resolution of the bigger border problem. Others believe that the new law is only a tool that the Chinese government would employ if it so desires, given that its activities have been aggressive even prior to the passage of the law.

Way forward

• To address the repercussions of this law, India demands a holistic answer, not simply a militarised response.
• Restoring ties, as well as the status quo along the borders, would need mutual sensitivity and commitment to previous agreements that helped sustain the calm, rather than unnecessary provocations that add to an already lengthy list of disputes.
• China’s designation of 15 locations in Arunachal Pradesh as its own territory comes as India and China maintain diplomatic and military engagement to finish the delayed disengagement process along the LAC.

How to structure

1. Give the intro about the said border law of China
2. Explain it
3. Examine its impact on Indo-China relations
4. Suggest way forward and conclude

Reference:

1. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-chinas-border-law-india-7702803