中印在藏南地区领土争议的关键是中国不承认西藏曾是一个独立的国家,与英属印度签下了西拉姆协议并确立了麦克马洪线。中共一旦承认麦克马洪线,等于承认西藏曾是独立主权国家。The Eastern Sector is Arunachal Pradesh (藏南): administered by India and claimed by China. The dispute centers on the validity of the 1914 McMahon Line based on the Simla Convention between the Tibetan government and British India, which Beijing rejects because China denies a history of an independent Tibetan government.