Report on Sino–Indian Border Disputes: International Law and International Relations Perspectives

Abstract

This article is based on remarks and presentations made at two symposiums—namely, the International Online Symposium on Sino–Indian Border Disputes: A Dialogue between International Law and International Relations, and the Second International Online Symposium on The Peaceful Settlement of the Sino–Indian Boundary Dispute: A Pragmatic Multidisciplinary Framework (中國法與比較法研究中心第二次國際在線研討會—[和平解決中印邊界爭端：務實的多學科框架]). These were hosted by the City University of Hong Kong’s School of Law: Centre for Chinese and Comparative Law, in collaboration with the Public Law and Human Rights Forum, on 4 March 2021 and 9 December 2021 respectively. The article reflects on the nature of the Sino–Indian Border Dispute (SIBD) and provides transitory remarks on concepts that promote either its settlement or the mitigation/maintenance of its status quo. Based on the range of issues and variables raised by discussants regarding challenges and opportunities of the SIBD, articulated from the perspectives of international law and international relations, history, political science, geography, and more, this article emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to SIBD settlement with a context-specific assessment of each sector.