---
title: "McMahon Line: India-China Border Explained | Model Diplomat"
description: "The McMahon Line is the 1914 boundary between Tibet and India, crucial in the ongoing India-China border dispute in Arunachal Pradesh."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/mcmahon-line"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The McMahon Line is the boundary between Tibet and British India agreed at the 1914 Simla Convention, now disputed as the India-China border in the eastern sector.
- Why does China reject the McMahon Line?
- Is the McMahon Line the same as the Line of Actual Control?
- What is the significance of Tawang in the McMahon Line dispute?
- Did the 1962 war change the McMahon Line?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Timeline

1. 25 March 1914

   The line was fixed through an exchange of notes between McMahon and Lonchen Shatra, the Tibetan plenipotentiary, on 24–, and was depicted on a map appended t…

2. 27 April 1914

   The convention was initialled by all three plenipotentiaries on , but the Chinese representative, Ivan Chen, was instructed by Beijing to repudiate his initi…

3. 3 July 1914

   The convention was initialled by all three plenipotentiaries on 27 April 1914, but the Chinese representative, Ivan Chen, was instructed by Beijing to repudi…

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Example

In April 2024, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs released a list of "standardised" names for 30 places in Arunachal Pradesh, prompting India's Ministry of External Affairs to reject the move and reaffirm the state as an integral part of India.

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