India-China Relations — Prelims Strategy

Prelims Strategy

Focus on factual accuracy regarding agreements, dates, and geographical features. Memorize key statistics: LAC length (3,488 km), trade figures, disputed areas (Aksai Chin 38,000 sq km, Arunachal Pradesh 90,000 sq km).

Create timeline of major events: 1954 Panchsheel, 1962 War, 1988 Rajiv Gandhi visit, 1993 Border Agreement, 2005 Strategic Partnership, 2017 Doklam, 2020 Galwan. Understand institutional mechanisms: Special Representatives dialogue, military commander meetings, CBMs.

Practice elimination techniques by identifying extreme options (always/never statements usually wrong). Stay updated with recent developments as UPSC increasingly tests current affairs integration. Focus on India's position on BRI, Quad dynamics, and multilateral cooperation in BRICS/SCO.

Also build Paper II skills

Dense constitutional and IR passages mirror CSAT-style comprehension and argument evaluation—build those skills in parallel. CSAT hub.

• Valid & invalid arguments
• Syllogisms
• Critical reasoning