Manchuria today is part of China, Britain is not part of India, so the argument goes.
By that logic, India can claim to the territories which were part of the erstwhile British Empire...
Border disputes in China
China has more neighbours than any country in the world, bordering on 14 other countries. Only the European Union, taken as a whole, has more bordering countries.
With so many fences to keep up, a few disputes can be expected. Here are a few from recent years.
India
Two regions are claimed by both India and China. Aksai Chin is in the disputed territory of Kashmir, at the junction of Pakistan, Tibet and India. India claims the 38,000-square-kilometre territory, currently administered by China.
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India in the country's northeast, bordering on Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and China. Though it is under Indian administration, China calls the 90,000-square-kilometre area South Tibet.
Russia
A dispute involving three islands on the rivers that form the border between China and Russia was resolved in October 2004, in a manner King Solomon would have been proud of.
Each of the islands – Bol'shoi Ussuriiskii Island and Tarabarov Island at the juncture of the Amur and Ussuri rivers, near Khabarovsk, Russia, and Bol'shoi Island on the Argun River – was split 50-50, with half of the territory going to each country.
The uninhabited islands had symbolic importance in the control over the rivers.
Japan
The Senkaku Islands are five unpopulated islands in the East China Sea with a total are of seven square kilometres. They are under Japanese control and are considered part of the Japanese Southwest Islands, but the People's Republic of China and Taiwan each claim them as well, calling them the Diaoyutai Islands and Diaoyu Islands, respectively.
In March 2004, a group of seven Chinese activists landed on one of the islands. The Japanese government arrested them for illegal entry and deported them back to China.
Taiwan
The People's Republic of China claims Taiwan, but it is administered by the Republic of China.
Tibet
The Government of Tibet in Exile claims not only the Tibet Autonomous Region under the control of China, but also Qinghai province and parts of surrounding provinces. Tibet in Exile calls the Chinese control of Tibet an illegitimate occupation.
Other disputes
Portions of China's western border with
Tajikistan haven't been defined.
A section of the boundary between China and
North Korea in the Baitou Mountain area is indefinite.
The Paracel Islands in the South China Sea are administered by China, but claimed by
Vietnam and Taiwan. There is also a dispute between China and
Vietnam over the maritime boundaries in the Gulf of Tonkin.
The rich fishing rights and possible oil reserves of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea are claimed by China,
Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and possibly Brunei.
Tibet Timeline
Yumbu Lhakang is seen on the top of a hill of Yarlung Valley near Tsetang, about 200 kilometers, from Lhasa, Tibet, far west of China. The castle-like palace was built by Nyatri Tsanpo, the first Tibetan king, in the 2nd century B.C. The palace plays an important role in the origin of Tibetan history and culture
Tibet is an autonomous region in southwest China with a population of 2.3 million people. The capital of Tibet is Lhasa. Surrounded by mountain ranges, including the Himalayas and the Kunlun, Tibet is mostly a plateau from which the Yangtze, the Mekong and the Thanlwin rivers rise.
The indigenous inhabitants are primarily of Mongolian stock and speak Tibeto-Burman. India, China and Central Asia had ancient trade routes through Tibet.
Pastoral life is still prevalent in Tibet, but the nomadic lifestyle is decreasing as economic development by the Chinese is bringing people into urban centres.
Since 1990, the number of non-Tibetan residents has risen. Until 1959, when there was an unsuccessful revolt, many of the urban dwellers were Buddhist monks. The Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama were the nominal heads of the Tibetan government. Before autonomous rule, the administration was divided between the lamas and the feudal aristocracy
Timeline
618-906
During the T'ang dynasty China establishes trade relations with Tibet. Frequent wars of conquest.
8th Century
Scholar Padmasambhava creates Tibetan Buddhism from the Mahayana Buddhism, which was practiced in the Tibet kingdom.
12th Century
Indian Buddhists come to Tibet to flee Muslim invasion.
13th Century
Tibet falls under Mongolian influence, which lasts until 18th century.
1720
Ch'ing dynasty replaces Mongol role in Tibet. China claims control over Tibet, although it is often nominal only.
1788
Gurkhas from Nepal invade Tibet.
1792
Gurkha war with Tibet
1893
Britain obtains a trading post at Yadong.
1904
British Military expedition lead by Sir Francis Younghusband enforces granting of trade posts at Yadong, Gyangze and Gar.
1906
Britain recognizes China's control over Tibet.
1912
With the overthrow of the Ch'ing dynasty in China, Tibet expels the Chinese and reasserts independence.
1913-1914
Britain, Tibet and China hold conferences in India and tentatively work out an agreement under which China maintains control over Tibet and the region is divided into an inner Tibet to be incorporated in China and an outer autonomous Tibet. China, however, doe not ratify the agreement, and continues to claim all of Tibet as a "special territory."
October 1950
Chinese People's Liberation Army invades Tibet. One of the justications is the succession of the 10th Panchen Lama with rival candidates supported by Tibet and China.
May 1951
Tibet becomes a "national autonomous region" under the traditional rule of the Dalai Lama, but actual control is by the Chinese Communist Commission in a Tibetan-Chinese agreement.
1956
Scattered uprisings begin throughout Tibet.
March 1959
Tibetans launch an armed separatist revolt. Thousands die battling Chinese troops as the rebellion is suppressed. The Dalai Lama flees to India with 80,000 followers, establishing a "government-in-exile."
1962
China launches attack along Tibet-India border to reclaim territories it says were wrongly given to India by Britain.
1964
The Panchen Lama, who had accepted Chinese sponsorship, is deposed and replaced by a secular leader after making statements supporting the Dalai Lama.
1965
Tibetan Autonomous Region formally established.
1966
Cultural Revolution begins in China. Red Guards enter the Tibetan capital of Lhasa in a campaign designed to stamp out the so-called "Four Olds": "old customs, old habits, old culture and old thinking." Religious practices are banned and more than 4,000 monasteries are destroyed.
1976
Religious ban is lifted.
1988
Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi visits Beijing, signaling a thaw in relations as New Delhi relaxes its support for complete independence of Tibet.
March 1989
China imposes martial law. Tibet's "government-in-exile" disbands to make way for greater democracy. Elections scheduled for 1991 with set five-year terms for elected representatives.
December 1991
Li Peng visits India, marking the first visit of a Chinese premier in 31 years. India detains 500 Tibetan protesters. China agrees to hold talks with exiled Tibetan leaders.
August 1992
High-level Tibetan exiles go to China to hold "open-minded" talks with Beijing.
June 1993
The Dalai Lama threatens to end the Tibetan fight for independence because of violent pro-democracy activists in Lhasa.
August 1993
The Dalai Lama holds a rare news conference to say he is fighting for political autonomy and not complete independence for Tibet, saying there are seven million Chinese and only six million Tibetans in the region.
April 1994
Mobs burn Tibetan office in Dharamsala India, alleging that a Tibetan stabbed an Indian youth to death. Tibetan activists ask Indian government for protection.
November 1996
Indian police detain 50 Tibetan exiles during Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit.
April 1998
Tibetan activist Thupten Ngodup dies after setting himself on fire in protest against police efforts to stop a hunger strike. The event signals a growing restlessness among Tibetans.
October 1998
India indicates it would welcome talks between the Dalai Lama and authorities in Beijing.
December 1998
The Dalai Lama says he is open to talks with China "without any precondition, anytime, anywhere."
January 1999
Tibetan youth activists burn flags after invading the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi. China criticizes India for not stopping them.
March 1999
Beijing designates Tibet an "inseparable part of China" and will open the doors to the Dalai Lama provided he drops his demands for independence for Tibet.
October 1999
In front of a crowd of 1,000 in Los Angeles the Dalai Lama predicts China will soften its grip on Tibet in a few years.
October 1999
During a visit to Britain, which was marked by pro-Tibetan independence protests, Chinese President Jiang Zemin rejects demands for China to change its policies on Tibet and on human rights.
November 1999
The Dalai Lama stresses the need for good relations with Beijing and announces he is not seeking independence from China.
December 1999
Dalai Lama says self-rule would satisfy Tibetans but also accuses the Chinese of cultural genocide.
January 1999
The third ranked Tibetan lama flees China in a week-long trek across the Himalayas to India to meet with the Dalai Lama.
