When India Rode Into Heart Of Communist China Soon After Independence

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in China on Saturday for the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, it was another chapter in the long, complicated story of India's engagement with its northern neighbour. Over 70 years ago, Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Indian prime minister to visit the People's Republic of China, in what was then hailed as a historic breakthrough in diplomacy.

In 1954, Nehru embarked on what he called the "most important foreign mission of his life." He was the first non-communist leader to set foot in Beijing since Mao Zedong's victory in 1949. The Chinese government welcomed him with great fanfare.

"The six miles between city and airport were walled by unbroken banks of humanity, clapping, cheering and crying the inescapable Chinese slogan, 'Long live peace'," The New York Times reported at the time.

Accompanied by his daughter Indira Gandhi, Nehru met Mao and Premier Zhou Enlai, and travelled through Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and Guangzhou. To Nehru, who dreamed of an Asia free from Cold War rivalries, the trip seemed to cement a new era of friendship.

The Panchsheel Agreement

Born out of the post-colonial ferment, Panchsheel was enshrined in the Tibet Agreement of April 29, 1954, where India and China resolved to guide their relations by mutual respect. Nehru did not sign the agreement himself; it was signed by India's Ambassador N Raghavan and China's representative Chang Han-fu.

Two months later, in June 1954, Nehru and Zhou declared these principles as a framework not just for bilateral ties but also for international relations.

Its preamble enshrined the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, articulated by the two were:

1. Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
2. Mutual non-aggression.
3. Mutual non-interference in internal affairs.
4. Equality and mutual benefit.
5. Peaceful coexistence.

Nehru viewed Panchsheel as a manifesto for Asia. He envisioned it as the basis of an independent Asian foreign policy, neither aligned with Washington nor Moscow. He even hoped that including China in future Asian-African forums would reassure its neighbours and solidify peace across the continent.

The text also carried a historic concession. For the first time, India formally recognised China's sovereignty over Tibet, describing it as the "Tibet Region of China."

Negotiations Before The Signing

The making of the agreement revealed the difficult compromises behind the rhetoric of peace. Between December 1953 and April 1954, Indian and Chinese negotiators clashed over trade routes and border passes. India sought recognition for several Himalayan passes that facilitated centuries-old trade and pilgrimage. Only six passes were eventually included, after China rejected the rest. The Chinese also objected to India's push to include Demchok (a border pass in Ladakh), forcing New Delhi to retreat.

The Collapse

The Panchsheel Agreement expired in June 1962, and within months India and China were at war across their Himalayan frontier. The Five Principles could not withstand disputes over Aksai Chin and the McMahon Line.