Relation of British India with Tibet

Tibet – Land of the Lamas and Nominal Chinese Suzerainty

• Tibet lay north of India, separated by the mighty Himalayas.
• Ruled by a Buddhist theocracy led by the Dalai Lama, believed to be the living incarnation of Buddha’s power.
• Tibet followed a strict isolationist policy—keeping foreign powers at arm’s length.
• Politically, Tibet acknowledged nominal suzerainty of the Chinese Empire—mainly to get protection from external threats, not because of active Chinese control.

Early British Interest – Commercial Curiosity

• Initially, Britain had no security threat from Tibet; China was militarily weak, and Tibet was inward-looking.
• Warren Hastings (Governor-General) sent missions in 1774 and 1783 to open trade with Tibet via Sikkim, but the suspicious Tibetan authorities refused.
• Britain’s goals:
  1. Economic: Develop Indo–Tibetan trade, exploit mineral resources.
  2. Political: Safeguard India’s northern frontier.

Late 19th Century – The Russian Angle Emerges

• By the early 1900s, Russian influence in Tibet seemed to be growing.
• Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India, feared a Russian foothold so close to India—or at least used this as a pretext—to bring Tibet into the system of British-protected frontier states.

Many historians believe the “Russian threat” was exaggerated and served as an excuse for British intervention.

The 1904 Lhasa Expedition

• In March 1904, Curzon sent Francis Younghusband with a military expedition via Sikkim into Tibet.
• Resistance: Tibetan forces, poorly armed, faced modern British weapons—about 700 Tibetans killed.
• Younghusband entered Lhasa in August 1904 and signed the Treaty of Lhasa:
  • Tibet became a British protectorate.
  • Tibet to pay ₹25 lakhs as indemnity.
  • Chumbi Valley occupied by Britain for 3 years.
  • British trade mission stationed at Gyantse.
  • Tibet to bar all other foreign powers from entering.

Impact:

• Drove Russia out of Tibet but also reaffirmed China’s suzerainty two years later in 1906.

1906 Anglo–Chinese Convention

• Signed between Britain and Qing China—without Tibet’s presence.
• Terms:
  • Britain promised not to annex or interfere in Tibet.
  • China promised not to let any foreign power meddle in Tibet’s territory or administration.
• Effectively, Britain acknowledged China’s suzerainty in exchange for keeping other powers out.

1913–14 Shimla Conference – Drawing the McMahon Line

• Backdrop: The Chinese Revolution of 1911 weakened China; the Dalai Lama declared Tibetan independence.
• Britain invited China and Tibet to a tripartite conference at Shimla (May 1913).

Positions at the Conference:

1. Tibet: Wanted recognition of full independence, rejection of 1906 Convention, and revision of trade rules.
2. China: Wanted sovereignty recognised and control over Tibet’s foreign and military affairs.
3. Britain: Focused mainly on fixing the Indo–Tibetan border.

Agreements (27 April 1914):

1. Tibet divided into:
   • Outer Tibet: Governed by the Dalai Lama under Chinese suzerainty, with no Chinese interference.
   • Inner Tibet: Under direct Chinese administration.
2. Border demarcation between British India and Tibet—this became the McMahon Line.

Problem:

• China refused to ratify the agreement, rejecting both Tibet’s independent status and the McMahon Line.