Vai trò của Tây Tạng trong cuộc chiến tranh biên giới Trung Quốc - Ấn Độ năm 1962

Abstract

The 1962 Sino-Indian border war marked a turning point in bilateral relations and reshaped the Himalayan security architecture. This study examines the central role of Tibet in the lead-up to the conflict, tracing China’s occupation of Tibet (1950), the 1959 uprising, and the Dalai Lama’s exile to India. Unlike the traditional accounts that emphasize territorial disputes or India’s “Forward Policy,” this study argues that Tibet was a pivotal variable that securitized Sino-Indian relations and directly catalyzed the war. Employing a historical-policy analysis combined with realism, conflict escalation theory, and identity-security frameworks, this study highlights Tibet’s dual function: as a symbolic marker of Chinese sovereignty and as a strategic buffer zone in Sino-Indian rivalry. The findings demonstrate that the 1962 conflict cannot be adequately explained without incorporating the Tibetan factor. Furthermore, the study underscores Tibet’s enduring relevance in contemporary Sino-Indian tensions, including the Doklam standoff (2017) and the Galwan clash (2020). Thereby, it offers broader implications for understanding how domestic security concerns transform into interstate conflict within postcolonial Asian geopolitics.