Tibet Separatism and the Simla Conference

　　ABSTRACT: The core preoccupation of the Simla Conference was the division of Tibet. At the conference, the British conspired with the local Tibetan government to formally propose a “Sino-Tibetan demarcation line,” and press for “Tibetan Independence.” The two parties further forced the Chinese delegate to the conference to sign the draft Simla Accord, with the objective of using an international conference and an international treaty to legitimize the division of Tibet and ensure Tibet’s status as an “independent state.” While the Conference ultimately concluded unsuccessfully, its adverse impacts can still be felt today. The Simla Conference is a symbolic event in the development of Tibetan separatism, and an important step in the internationalization of Tibetan separatism. Chinese research on the Simla Conference tends to focus only on the impact that it had on border demarcation between China and India and Sino-Indian relations. This paper’s contribution is to analyze instead the role that the Conference played in the creation and development of Tibetan separatism.