 Thank you and good afternoon all of you. It's really wonderful to see all of you actively participating in this very important issue of national interest. I'm really thankful to Hetso College Department of Political Science, HOD Dr. Drimai Longmai, and moderator Dr. Sabur for giving me this opportunity, a valuable opportunity indeed to speak on a topic of national importance. Ladies and gentlemen, before I begin reading my paper kindly allow me to pay homage to the martyr of Galwan Valley who charged people Republic of China's army that came with an intention to slaughter them with swords, spares, choppers, and nail wooden sticks. Our soldiers and officers fought till their last breath in Galwan against China's cowardly attack. Salute to them. I pay my homage to the men and officers of Indian army and the common men and women who fought China's aggression on our land in 1962. Battle of Rizangla where the last stand of 13 Kumao's Charlie Company wrote a history under the command of Major Shaitan Singh will be remembered forever. My salute to them. I pay homage to the men and officers of the Tibetan army under the supreme command of the Lailama who led their lives defending their land from the communist China's military operation on their independent country. I salute to them. I also salute to the men and officers of special frontier force for their dedication and sacrifice. Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know that the recent conflicts between the India and Chinese soldiers on the line of actual control in the Galwan Valley resulted in raising the concerns of the observers. The extreme level of the conflict and brutality, the number of casualties as well as the breakdown of the communication had resulted in displaying the Galwan Valley conflict can be a pivotal moment of Indo-China relationship. India and China both are considered as the hairs of ancient civilizations. Both the nations have also emerged as the two most significant and powerful nations of Asia in terms of their geographical standing as well as their economic growth and development. However, the geopolitical difference among the nations have resulted in increasing the concern about stability and peace at the border. However, the history of political relations between the two nations and the residual mistrust has resulted in increasing the conflict and differences between them. Although it has been recognized that the cooperation and mutual trust and interest would be beneficial for both nations, but multi-layered regional and geographical interest had been the major reasons behind this 70 years old conflict. Therefore, I will discuss the history of Indo-China relationship and will further discuss the various reasons of conflict that emerge after the Punchesheel Pact to the Galwan Valley conflict. I will also attempt to decipher this relationship under the backdrop of the Buddhist diplomacy. So with your permission, let me begin. The region of Jawaharlal Nehru was based on the research in Asia, which was mainly dependent on the friendly relationship between the two largest nations in Asia, that is India and China. The international foreign policy adopted by Nehru was mainly governed by the five Punchesheel principles, which he believed that has been adopted and shared with China. This is an early example of identifying the role of Buddhism in bridging the gap between India and China in the form of discursive reconstruction of Asia. However, Tibet became the main reason of the geopolitical conflict between India and China. Tibet was historically considered as the buffer zone, on which India believed that they have the inherited right provided them by British. Initially, it has been identified that focus of both the nations was mainly on developing the cooperative and friendly relations and to encourage internal development instead of focusing on foreign policy. Secondly, even when India and China focus on their foreign policy approach, their policies were not concerned about each other. Rather, they were concerned about the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as well as the system of alliance that was developed by the two superpowers. In the year 1949, the Kuomintang, also called the Nationalist Party, was defeated by the People's Liberation Army in civil war. You may term it as a revolution as well as a result of which People's Republic of China was established. India was the second non-communist nation that recognized the presence and establishment of the People's Republic of China. However, after the establishment of PRC, Mao Zedong, who was also the commander of the Liberation Army and also the chairman of the Communist Party of China, identified that Tibet should be integrated in China and wanted to bring Tibet under the administrative and military control of PRC. For obvious reasons, the strategic as well as economic that we should not forget. China also considered that India's concern towards Tibet as the interference in the internal affairs of China. PRC also displayed to enhance its control over Tibet by ending the Tibetan Buddhism and feudalism, so using its military might in 1950. According to Hoffman, Nehru was worried about such rift and to avoid antorganism, he declared that India do not have any political or geographical interest in Tibet. This was quoted by Hoffman. However, according to Lal, India wanted to continue with their traditional trading rights in Tibet. With the support of Indian government, an agreement was signed between Tibet and delegates and PRC of the acceptance of PRC sovereignty in Tibet. But with a condition that political and social structure in Tibet would remain unaffected. In the year 1954, an eight-year agreement was also signed between India and PRC, which was specifically based on the five principles of peaceful coexistence, which is also known as punch-shield pact. Although the critics considered this agreement to be naïve, but Nehru considered that this could be an important policy of defence in Himalayan region and that India could get the guarantee of security by maintaining a psychological buffer zone in place of the loss of physical buffer zone in Tibet. Studies have informed that until the period of 1959, despite of some evident inconsistencies on the border, China assured India that there would be no territorial controversies on the border. The main problem originated from the map that was published by India in 1954 that displayed the inclusion of Aksai-Chin region within Indian territory according to Chinese sources. However, later it was discovered that a Chinese road is running through the Aksai-Chin region of Ladakh, which resulted in making the Indian protest more serious. Later in 1959, China rejected the agreement between India and Tibet. The conflict between India and China significantly increased and Chinese governments started making efforts to end the uprising of Buddhism in Tibet. China was in opposition of the Lamaism and feudalism as it did not want Tibet to have a self-rule. China took control over Tibet in 1950 and considered the Lai Lama was a dangerous terrorist, a separatist and wanted to suppress the national uprising in Tibet. Although China considered itself to be the largest Buddhist country and used Buddhism as a diplomatic source, thus focused on gaining the support of the smaller Buddhist countries like Myanmar and Thailand. Therefore, China used its version of Buddhism, which it symbolically displayed through its government authorities by appointing Ginkeng Norbu and Panchen Lama to counterbalance the influence of the Lai Lama and Tibetan gods outside China. This is how China attempted to install the Dalai Lama of its own choice to counterbalance the influence of the original Dalai Lama that Tibetans wanted it. However, later PRC accused India for expansionism and imperialism in Tibet as Dalai Lama found refuge in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh and thousands of other Tibetan refugees settled down in the northwest region of India, mainly in Himachal Pradesh. Also, they have settlements in Karnataka also in the Bailakupe region. As a result of it, China claimed that 104,000 square kilometers of territory shown in the Indian map is Chinese land and required ratification. Zhou Enlai, an important PRC leader, wrote to India that if India agreed to abandon Xichin, then China would take back its claims on most of the northeast parts of India. However, because of the restricted public opinion in India and also the truth of the history that has been instrumental in helping in developing India's policy, the government of India rejected this settlement. These are the first historical reasons that resulted in sowing the seed of geopolitical conflict between India and China. The border dispute that started between India and China in 1950s resulted in the development of the war between the two nations. A significant rift between Sino-Indian relations was witnessed through the 33 days of Sino-Indian conflict in the year 1962. A massive attack was launched by PRC due to the dispute over the Xichin and some of the border areas in the state of Himachal Pradesh. China attacked the border of India both in the eastern as well as the western section. This led India to ask for the help from the American President, John F. Kennedy, who immediately sent his Air Force squadron in the Bay of Bengal. However, it was recalled immediately as China declared the ceasefire and also withdrew its troops from the territory which was earlier acquired by it under dispute and also withdrew 20 km behind the line of actual control. And dear friend, this exactly happened after the Battle of Rizangla. This war was also considered as the watershed moment for India and the nation focused on more practical approaches towards its foreign policy. After the war, the relations between India and China significantly worsened. India began to form a close alliance with Soviet Union as it had split from China due to international communist movement. However, China found closer relationship with Pakistan. In the year 1963, Pakistan signed the border settlement agreement with China, according to which Pakistan surrendered 5,080 km of Pakistan occupied Kashmir to China. China also supported Pakistan in its war in 1965 against India. China also accused India of supporting Kampa rebels in the region of Tibet, which further resulted in affecting the cultural and economic ties between the two nations. During the India and Pakistan war in 1965, China also wanted India to demolish the illegal structures that they considered to be made on Chinese territory in Sikkim. In the year 1971, India signed a treaty of peace, friendship and cooperation with the Soviet Union while USA and China supported Pakistan in 1971 war against India. China also denounced India as a supporter of Soviet expansionism. However, after the invasion of Afghanistan by Soviet in the year 1979, India and China tried to improve their relations. For example, China modified its pro-Pakistan policies and also remained silent on India's acquisition of Chinese boundary in Sikkim. The delegates from both the countries agreed to talk about these complex border issues. Now the period of 1980s, which is very interesting, was marked with the development or the initiation of some formal peaceful relationship with each other. However, in 1984, the conflict again occurred because of the McMohen Line, which according to Chinese was not a legitimate line. In the year 1986, Arunachal Pradesh was granted with the statehood by India, which was strongly opposed by China. It resulted in increasing the tension between the two nations and both the countries deployed their troops on the borders. However, in the year 1988, the then Prime Minister of India Raju Gandhi worked towards developing the friendly relationship between the two countries as a result of which bilateral agreements were signed. In 1993, border peace treaty and tranquility was signed as a result of which both countries agreed to withdraw their troops from the Sundaram Choo Valley in 1995. In the year 1996, China also agreed to reduce its troops from the disputed border areas as the initiation of friendly relations. However, the India's nuclear test in 1998 resulted in increasing Chinese concern as an Indian defence minister called China at that point of time as the biggest threat. So the Chinese foreign ministry was very vocal and they interpreted the Pokharen test as the biggest threat to China. In the year 2017, Karmapa Lama flee from China and came to Dharamshala to join the Lai Lama and China accused India for providing the asylum to Karmapa as a violation of the Panchashal Act. In the year 2006, Nathula Pass was reopened after 44 years of trade which present between Sikkim and Tibet. However, the territory problem between the two nations continues to lead. As many times, China violated the treaties and sent its troops within the Indian boundaries and this has been very visible. Between the period of 2013 till 2020, Chinese troops entered Indian boundaries on many incidents that resulted in increasing the border conflict between two nations and led to the brutal Galwan Valley conflict. There have been many unresolved issues between India and China that continue to increase the conflict between the two largest nations of Asia. Buddhism also has played an important role in the foreign policies of India and China. Evidences have shown that India has integrated Buddhism in its foreign policy approach to bridge the gap between China and India and to reduce border conflicts. China's leader Xi Jinping has also some personal links with Buddhism as the record says. As his mother was buried according to Tibetan Buddhist rights and his wife is the personal practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. Although India has the oldest link with Buddhism and considered as a place of origin of Buddha and Buddhism, Indian government has significantly used Buddhism in external diplomatic relations. For example, in 2011 global Buddhist congregation was organized by the government of India. Similarly, many significant efforts have been made by the government of India in the recent past to preserve the traditional practices of Buddhism. Let us understand that that was not just done from the cultural perspective but that was also done from the diplomatic perspective. To increase India's influence over the Buddhist countries in eastern Asia and also counter to China. Government of China has also used Buddhism in its diplomatic policy as well as in foreign policies. China started hosting the international Buddhist events to convey the message to the Buddhist population of China and the neighboring nations that the communist government of China approves Buddhism. Studies have identified that Buddhism played a significant role in improving and enhancing the communication between India and China and the territorial issues. Some of the border areas which have been significantly into China conflict, if you take up the history, you will come to know that there were the routes through which Buddhism traveled from India to China and other East Asian countries. Buddhist pilgrims were considered also as the most powerful symbol of strong connection between the societies of India and China. Now, the journey that the relationship that has been taken by both the countries so far has been full of complexities, full of challenges. But however, as Major General Saab rightly mentioned, that we cannot ignore the current position of China. When it comes to the idea of friendship, we should really understand one fact very clearly dear friends that in the international relations also in the strategic relationship there cannot be a pure hearted friendship or pure hearted relationship. China's foreign policy is very clear. And if you see the history of the China's foreign policy as well as China's military ambitions, you will come to know that their policy has been actually supported by the notion of give and take. If you want to settle this matter, then you are required to settle this another counter matter in a particular way. So this has been the policy that China has been using since so many days. Now, I'll take just two more minutes, two, three more minutes and then I will conclude my talk. See, when it comes to China's economic rise, China's economic power as well as the military power, we should not undermine the India's position as well. India has been considered as the greatest elephant of the Asia and China has been considered as the dragon of the Asia. I think when it comes to the military might, when it comes to economic superpower, the clashes and conflicts would be there. But somewhere I still feel that India is really having an upper hand in this conflict. And let me tell you that this conflict is not limited to the military conflict or military ambitions. It is also connected with the economic ambitions of both the countries, not only just the China. However, the Belt and Road Initiative has been considered as modern definition of modern imperialism, modern expansionism. And that Belt and Road Initiative has been detrimental to the strategic interest, to the economic interest and the political interest of India. I do not know what lies in the future, but yes, as long as China is showing us aggression, India will keep on showing its aggression. Thank you so much. Thank you for this opportunity.