Aksai Chin for Arunachal: Ex-Indian Army chief Naravane backs revival of 1950s China offer for border row

Ex army personnels should refrain themselves from making such statements. Their backing doesn't mean anything.

Regaining Aksai Chin has been a matter of Indian pride over pragmatism. I agree, worth far more to China than to India. That said, I'd be surprised if such a swap for Arunachal Pradesh is still on the table from a Chinese perspective. They have controlled Aksai Chin for over 60 years and likely believe that they will also eventually take AP.

This essentially is a push for India to settle its border disputes with China completely. Aksai chin has very little strategic value to India compared to Arunachal, while the opposite is true for China. China needs aksai chin in Kashmir for roads to connect to Tibet and Arunachal being in the Himalayas would cost too much for them to even attempt to take. So it kinda tries to balance each others interests. This was a dusted idea, as India was okay with the status quo but trump has let’s just say motivated both sides a little. If bro unironically fixes India China border disputes, then give him the Nobel peace prize.

Arunachal Pradesh does nothing for China, it would just be a propaganda piece of how they reversed the wrongs of western imperialism. Many parts of it were occupied by the Chinese in the 1962 war. But the Chinese withdrew following the cease fire because it was next to impossible to supply their armies across the Himalayas at the time. This is still more or less true. It is much easier for the Indian to supply their forces from their side. And the reverse is true for Aksai Chin.