Chumbi valley

Why in news

• China is strengthening connectivity and increasing its depth in Chumbi valley in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), close to India’s strategic and vulnerable Siliguri corridor.

About Chumbi valley:

• Chumbi valley in the eastern Great Himalaya Range of the southern Tibet Autonomous Region.
•  It is situated on a small south-pointing protuberance of territory between Bhutan (east) and Sikkim (west).
  • The Chumbi Valley is connected to Sikkim to the southwest via the mountain passes of Nathu La and Jelep La.
• It is formed by the passage of the Amo (Torsa) River, which rises below Tang Pass and flows south into Bhutan, the valley has an average elevation of 9,500 feet (2,900 metres), forested slopes, and a pleasant climate most of the year.

History:

• Formerly in Sikkim, Chumbi Valley became part of Tibet in 1792.
• The inhabitants of the valley are called Promowa and are of Tibetan descent.
• Extensive trade in wool, yak tails, and borax passed through the valley after British negotiations resulted in the establishment of a trade agency at Xarsingma (Yadong) and a treaty between the British and Tibet in 1904.
  • The 1904 Younghusband Expedition of British India passed through the Chumbi Vally on its way to Lhasa.
  • At the end of the expedition, the British took control of the Chumbi Valley in lieu of a war indemnity.
  • China agreed to pay the indemnity owed by the Tibetans in three installments and the Chumbi Valley was transferred back to Tibet on 8 February 1908.
• Since 1951 the valley has been under the control of China, which continued trade with India until 1962, when a 1954 treaty between China and India over the status of Tibet expired, and a border dispute between the two countries erupted.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Chumbi valley, sometimes seen in news, is located in:

(a) Tibet Autonomous Region, China

(b) Nepal

(c) Pakistan

(d) Afghanistan

Answer