Could China and India go to war over Tibet?

Summary

March 10, 2009: The article explains the possible reasons for a future conflict between India and China over Tibet:

• Some Chinese officials have publicly asserted claims over the north-eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which they refer to as "Southern Tibet".
• India has not accepted the full sovereignty of China over Tibet.
• China has been systematically building rail and road networks along the border, which would allow it to project its forces more effectively during a conflict. India has attempted the same, but lags behind China in this regard.
• As some of the holiest sites of Tibetan Buddhism are within Indian territory, it is possible that the successor for the Dalei Lama might originate from there instead of "Tibet proper" - thus causing Tibetans to continue to feel more loyalty to a non-Chinese spiritual leader than the Chinese government. Conquering the contested regions would prevent that.

Source

Bibliography

1. Original article

2. Arcana Wiki Map entry

Game and Story Use

• Such a conflict could form the background of a near-future military campaign - or be the trigger for World War III.
  • Mercenaries could ply their trade in a terrain that is as scenic as it is inhospitable.
  • Smugglers could be paid handsomely to bring weapons and supplies to guerrilla forces.
  • Indian troops and supplies wishing to get to the Northeastern parts of the country must pass through a 15 mile bottleneck between Nepal and Bangladesh (which can be seen here), so this region will likely see a lot of long-range strikes and acts by Chinese saboteurs, since China will want to slow down Indian supplies as much as possible in the event of such a conflict.
• Given the long and deep occult histories of China, Tibet, and India, the conflict could also play out in the occult underground of an urban fantasy campaign.