India has consistently viewed bilateral relations with China in a positive spirit. Some important milestones in Indo-China bilateral relations are as follows.
  • 1949: India extended official recognition to the Peoples Republic of China on December 30, 1949. India was the second among the non-socialist countries, after Burma (Myanmar) to recognise PRC.


  • 1950 April: Formal establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China


  • 1954 June: Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai visited India in June 1954. The two Prime Ministers jointly enunciated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence (The five principles are (a) mutual respect for each other`s territorial integrity and sovereignty, (b) mutual non-aggression, (c) mutual non-interference in each other`s internal affairs, (d) equality and mutual benefit, and (e) peaceful co-existence.)


  • 1956 November: Premier Zhou Enlai visits India
  • March 31, 1959: Dalai Lama left China and came to India. He was given asylum.



  • September 1959: The Government of China, for the first time, laid a formal claim to 50,000 square miles (128,000 square kilometres) of Indian territory in Ladakh and in the North East Frontier Agency (now known as Arunachal Pradesh)



  • 1960: Prime Ministers of India and China met in Delhi to discuss the boundary issue and this was followed by the meeting between officials of the two sides



  • February 1961: Government of India published the report of these talks



  • September 8, 1962: Chinese aggression in the Eastern sector of the India-China boundary in the NEFA region (now known as Arunachal Pradesh) started



  • October 20, 1962: Chinese forces mounted an all-out attack on Indian defence forces along the entire India-China Boundary. As a result of this, China additionally acquired about 2,500 square miles (6400 square kilometres) of Indian territory


  • October 24, 1962: Chinese government proposed a cease-fire. India rejected the Chinese proposal on grounds that it was aimed at securing physical control of areas which were never under Chinese administrative control.
  • November 15 – 19, 1962: Chinese mounted another massive offensive from November 15-19, 1962. On November 21: Chinese declared a unilateral cease-fire, with prospective effect from 00:00 hrs on November 22, 1962, and announced withdrawal of troops beginning



  • December 1, 1962, to positions 20 Kms. behind their so-called LAC of November 7, 1959. During the India-Pakistan conflict in 1965, the Chinese side extended material assistance to Pakistan and its official statement accused India of ‘criminal aggression’.



  • During the India-Pakistan conflict in 1971, China criticised India for ‘gross’ interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan. It condemned Bangladeshi leaders as a ‘secessionist group’ and was one of the last countries to accord recognition to Bangladesh.
  • China was officially admitted into the UN in 1971 replacing Taiwan including on the Security Council (Note: India has consistently followed the ‘one-China policy’. Despite ups and downs in bilateral relations, India had consistently advocated, since 1950, that PRC should represent China in the UN).



  • The Chinese Government, on April 29, 1975, issued a statement on merger of Sikkim with India, calling it as ‘illegal annexation’. (Note: China has not yet officially recognized Sikkim as an integral part of India)



  • 1976: Two countries restored ambassadorial level relations after 15 years. In April, India announced the nomination of Shri K.R.Narayanan as India’s Ambassador to China.


  • 1979: External Affairs Minister, Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee, visited China. This visit marked the resumption of high level exchanges.
  • June 1981: Chinese Foreign Minister Huang Hua visited India.

  • 1988 December: Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi visits China. This visit of marked the resumption of political dialogue at the highest level. The two sides decided to set up a Joint Working Group to discuss the boundary question.



  • December 1991: Premier Li Peng visits India



  • July 1992: Defence minister Sharad Pawar visits China
  • May 1992: president r venkataraman visits China



  • January 1993: Lok Sabha speaker Shivraj Patil visits China



  • September 1993: Prime Minister Narasimha Rao visits China



  • December 1993: Chinese People`s Political Consultative Committee chairman Li Ruihuan visits India
  • September 1994: Defence Minister General Chi Haotian visits India



  • October 1994: Vice President K R Narayanan visits China



  • November 1995: National Peoples` Congress standing committee chairman Qiao Shi visits India



  • November 1996: President Jiang Zemin visits India
  • December 1997: CCCP political bureau standing committee member Wei Jianxing visits India



  • May 11 & 13, 1998: India conducts a series of nuclear tests



  • May 14, 1998: China condemns the nuclear tests, relations jolted



  • June 1999: External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh visits China -- Restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations



  • March 2000: India-China hold the first-ever security dialogue in Beijing



  • April 1, 2000: India-China jointly celebrate 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations
  • May 2000: India-China resume military-to-military exchanges which were suspended in May 1998 after the Indian nuclear tests


  • May 28-June 03, 2000: President K R Narayanan pays a state visit to China



  • July 2000: Chinese Foreign Minster Tang Jiaxuan visits India, agrees to speed up India-China boundary negotiations



  • January 2001: Chairman of the National People`s Congress, Li Peng visits India, leading to greater cooperation between the Parliaments of India and China



  • May 2001: Senior Communist Party leader Li Changchun visits India



  • July 2001: Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson Najma Heptullah leads a Parliamentary-cum- business-cum-trade union delegation to China



  • 2002: Chinese premier Zhu Rongji visits India. Holds extensive talks with Prime Minister Vajpayee and other Indian leaders. India-China agree to establish a bilateral dialogue mechanism against terrorism.
  • January 2003: Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi visits China. Holds talks with Chinese counterpart Li Peng. Decides to further step up cooperation between the two sides.


  • April 2003: Defence Minister George Fernandes visits China for the first time. Holds talks with top Chinese leadership. Both sides describe the visit as "successful" in promoting bilateral ties, especially military cooperation and exchanges.



    • June 2003: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visits China, becoming the fourth Indian premier to visit China since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1950. He is also the first Indian Prime Minister to visit China in nearly a decade.