Sumdorong Chu (; ) is a tributary of the

Nyamjang Chu The Nyamjang Chu, or Nyashang Chu () is a cross-border perennial river that originates in the Shannan Prefecture of Tibet and flows into the Arunachal Pradesh state of India, joining the Tawang Chu river just before it enters Bhutan. The Nyamja ...

river that flows along the disputed Sino-Indian border between the

Tsona County Tsona City (, zh, s=错那市), formerly Tsona County, is a county-level city in Shannan Prefecture in the southeastern part of the Tibet region of China. Tsona means "The face of the ara Yumcolake" in Tibetan. It lies immediately to the nort ...

of Tibet and the

Tawang district Tawang district (Pron:/tɑ:ˈwæŋ or təˈwæŋ/) is the smallest of the 26 Districts of Arunachal Pradesh, administrative districts of Arunachal Pradesh state in northeastern India. With a population of 49,977, it is the eighth least populous ...

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeast India. It was formed from the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and India declared it as a state on 20 February 1987. Itanagar is its capital and la ...

. It originates in the Tokpo Shiri Glacier, about 7–10 kilometres east of

, and flows down to the river. Its junction with Nyamjang Chu is about two kilometers to the north of that of Namka Chu, another contested river valley. The Sumdorong Chu valley was the site of a standoff between India and China in 1986–1987 which, despite giving rise to the fears of another war, deescalated successfully. Subsequently, India and China formulated agreements for managing future border tensions.

Location

Sumdorong Chu flows in a disputed border region between Tibet's

and Arunachal Pradesh's

. The dispute arises due to differing interpretations of where the McMahon Line lies. China adheres to the 1914 map of the McMahon Line, which shows the border as a straight line at 27°44'30" N latitude till the range of "Menlakathong La" (roughly the modern Bum La Pass). India believes that the true border lies along the highest watershed line in the region, which is to the north of the Namka Chu and Sumdorong Chu streams.Bhuvan, Indian Geo-Platform of ISRO
search key: "Kenze Mane,ARUNACHAL PRADESH", retrieved 13 July 2020.

1987 standoff

In 1986–87, a military standoff took in the Sumdorong Chu Valley. It was initiated by China moving a company of troops to Wangdung, a pasture to the south of Sumdorong Chu which India held to be part of its territory. The Indian troops stood their ground on the neighbouring Lungro la ridge and both the sides moved a large number of troops to the border. The crisis was diffused after the visit of Indian Foreign Minister to Beijing in May 1987.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{refend China–India border Rivers of Arunachal Pradesh Rivers of Tibet Shannan, Tibet Tawang district Territorial disputes of China Territorial disputes of India Borders of Arunachal Pradesh

Location

1987 standoff

See also

References

Bibliography