"In the mid 1930s, the British became apprehensive about a resurgent China and decided they should have a boundary, so they made one unilaterally, without consulting China."
"They moved forces forward and they found a line which suited them and they declared falsely that the line reflected an agreement reached between Britain and China in 1914."
Further reckless disregard continued in the lead-up to the Sino-Indian conflict in 1954, when then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru adopted the policy that India could align its borders based on so-called historic research, meaning India's borders would be defined by what they displayed on their official maps.
"Indians have convinced themselves that if they declare a tract of territory to be Indian, it becomes Indian, which is nonsense," Maxwell said.
"The ownership of territory can only be decided by diplomatic discussion between the two parties concerned."
Despite the growing risk to their sovereignty, Chinese forces in the years prior to 1962 did not engage in conflict with the Indian side. China instead issued a series of warnings and urged India to hold negotiations.
"Those warnings became more and more explicit but constantly ignored until October 1962, the Chinese at last met this constant Indian military pressure with an overwhelming, crushing counterattack."
According to Maxwell, the devastating battle was a humiliation for India's political class and viewed by the Indian government as a stark warning by China.
"(China as the aggressor) was a misconception, fostered of course by India, which put forward the absurd lie that they had been the victim of unprovoked Chinese aggression," Maxwell said.
"But that is not the case, they brought a Chinese counter attack upon themselves by their own wrong-headed border policy."
INDIAN PROVOCATIONS BROUGHT ABOUT CHINESE COUNTERATTACK
At the time, Maxwell's reports were contested and had him all but expelled from New Delhi, but in 2014, the acclaimed writer and Oxford scholar released a document called the Henderson-Brooks Report, which confirmed his long held account.
"The Henderson-Brooks Report, which was the Indian Army's own account of the events of the war, makes quite clear the truth ... that it was Indian provocations that brought about a forewarned Chinese counterattack," Maxwell said.
"My motivation was one that I hope every journalist has the wish to get the truth on record."
Unfortunately, the stance taken by Nehru all those years ago, is one that still remains a key component of India's modern outlook, when it comes to its border policy.
Every generation of leaders in India promotes the erroneous account of national oppression at the hands of China and indoctrinates its citizens into believing their northern territory is occupied, he said.
For Maxwell, negotiations and cooperation to resolve the dispute should be the highest priority, along with finding ways for the neighboring countries to work together.
He believes China's Belt and Road Initiative could present the solution to the boundary unrest.
"Cooperation on infrastructure is at the heart of Belt and Road concept, so I think this will be a way ahead," Maxwell said.
"I see the Belt and Road Initiative as a possible line of hopeful human development, in which national interests will be submerged in a sense of what is in the greater interest of humankind," he said.
